


If Only I'd Met You First

by AngerAndHope



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Jeremy/Robin, Nicole/Shae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-02-21 15:05:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 38,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18704758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngerAndHope/pseuds/AngerAndHope
Summary: Nicole and Rosita have been best friends since high school. Rosita hopes that Nicole will like her new girlfriend but unfortunately for Nicole, she might like her a little too much.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been years since I have written anything especially a multi-chapter piece. I did do a little WayHaught one-shot to see if I wanted to write more and I guess I did! I'll admit this is probably going to be short, with short chapters and my updates will not be consistent as I find it hard to concentrate. I just wanted to get the first chapter out there to see what other people think and to give me some inspiration.

Nicole curses under her breath as she enters the bathroom to find it a complete mess courtesy of her roommate and best friend, Rosita. They have been living together for four years now and still, Rosita never follows Nicole's simple rules of roommate etiquette. Nicole had met Rosita in sophomore year of high school. Nicole was the new kid and Rosita had kindly offered to show her around her new school.

It wasn't the first time that Nicole had been the new kid. She had been to two other schools during her time in education since her parents often moved from place to place and Nicole had to follow. When she was younger she used to spend some time living with her Aunt and Uncle and that was the only time she felt settled. Unfortunately, when her parents decided to move again, they wanted her to go with them. Nicole had suggested that she just stayed with her Aunt and Uncle but her parents wouldn't let her. So when they moved further away this time, it meant that she could no longer spend time with her Aunt and Uncle anymore.

Having been the new kid halfway through freshman year, Rosita had told Nicole that she understood how she felt and offered her friendship. They bonded over that fact and some other shared interests that they both had. However, there was one thing in particular that they didn't find out about each other until senior year. They were both into girls.

It was kind of an awkward moment when they found out about each other's sexuality. Nicole had known for some time that she was attracted to girls and not boys but she wasn't sure how to bring it up with her best friend. That didn't become much of an issue because on one Friday night after a couple of drinks, they kissed. They had decided to crash a football player's party, they had started the night with a beer each but then Rosita had brought over some shots. Peppermint shots.

Nicole wasn't much of a drinker and the alcohol quickly went to her head. The next thing she knows she's staring into her best friends eyes and the next their lips are on each others'. It only lasted a few minutes but it confirmed two things for Nicole. One, that she was indeed a lesbian and two she was in no way attracted to Rosita. The awkward part came afterwards when they both pulled away and didn't know what to say to each other.

The silence between them lasted longer than the kiss so Nicole decided to just go for it and to come out to her best friend. What she didn't expect was for Rosita to have her own coming out and tell her she was bisexual. When the night ended, both of them were happy and relieved that their friendship wouldn't be affected by not only admitting their sexuality to each other but a rather impromptu kiss.

Nicole's parents didn't move again until she had graduated from high school so their friendship continued into college. She hadn't seen her parents in over two years, they had spoken on the phone once in a while but they didn't seem that interested in Nicole's life. They didn't really support the direction that Nicole had decided she wanted her life to go in, she had decided that she wanted to join the police academy and they were disappointed with that choice.

However, before she applied to join the academy she wanted to go to college and earn her bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Rosita who had always shown an interest in science had decided to study for a bachelors degree in chemistry.

Just over three years ago Nicole and Rosita were both accepted into Smith University and now they were finally in the last year of their respective degrees. When they moved for college they decided to get an apartment together off campus. Nicole was excited about going through this adventure with her best friend by her side but she might not have been if, she had known that she would be spending half of her time picking up Rosita's wet towels off the bathroom floor. Just like she was doing now.

Nicole throws the towel into the laundry basket which was nearly overflowing, highlighting another flaw of her best friend. Their apartment was small but it fits them well. They have an open plan kitchen and living room, the kitchen was on the left as you entered the apartment with the rest of the room being used as the living area. The couch in the living room was Nicole's preferred place to study at home as she could use the coffee table in front of it to spread out her work. She really wanted to invest in a desk but she didn't have enough room in her bedroom since it just about fit a bed and a set of drawers. At least it came with a small fitted wardrobe so she had enough space to put all of her clothes.

Nicole uses the toilet, the reason she was in the bathroom in the first place and washes her hands, cleaning the mess of bottles up after she's finished. She only got a glimpse of Rosita this morning as she fled the house explaining something about a coffee date. That would explain the state of the bathroom. She probably woke up late, got ready as quickly as she could and was flying out of the door to make sure that she wasn't any later than she already was.

Nicole loves her best friend, she does but even with shared interests they are both are very different people. Rosita was very spontaneous, she loved going to parties and doing new things and meeting new people. Nicole, however, liked to plan things out more, she would go to parties but she preferred to nurse a drink in the corner and watch people make rather questionable decisions rather than partaking in them herself.

Rosita was always telling her that she should relax a bit more and maybe she had a point. Maybe then she would find herself on a coffee date with a girl on a Saturday morning rather than what she is currently doing and that is staying at home trying to get ahead with some of her college work.

At least she had plans for the afternoon. She was meeting up with Rosita and their friend; Dolls at a local cafe. They always tried to catch up at least once on the weekends as their busy schedules often kept them occupied during the week. A lot of the time they would end up at the local bar, Shorty's but sometimes they liked to meet without getting drunk. That way they could actually have a proper conversation because at the bar Rosita had a tendency to order shots not too long after the first round.

Nicole would usually partake in the first round of shots but would bow out after that, she's got bad past experience with Rosita and her ordering of shots. There is another night involving peppermint flavoured ones that she'd rather forget, in fact, she can only remember parts of it anyway.

Nicole makes her way back into the living room and sits on the floor in front on the couch, her back resting against it. She has her laptop set up next to her notes that are scattered on the coffee table. She had thought about studying at the library but there's a cute brunette that works there that always takes Nicole's attention away from what's she's supposed to be doing, maybe she should ask her out on a coffee date.

She would have to find out if she was into girls and that would mean she would have to talk to her first. Nicole isn't shy around girls but usually, she would see the brunette for a few minutes before she would disappear.

Even though the cute brunette isn't even here she still managing to take Nicole's attention away from her work. Prior to the bathroom, she's had been going over and over the same paragraph. She had been reading over it for fifteen minutes and still wasn't happy. She'll have to mention it to Dolls later to see what he had written on the topic.

Nicole had met Xavier Dolls during her first week of college. They were taking the same classes as he also had the same plan to do four years at college to earn his bachelor's in criminal justice before applying for the police academy. It took a few weeks before they became actual friends. Nicole learned pretty quickly that he wasn't the most talkative outgoing person, especially when he mentioned he preferred to be called Dolls straight from the get-go.

A few months into their friendship, Nicole started to see the cracks in Dolls' walls appear when he started to show a softer side. Every once in a while he would make a joke or show his caring side, even with his stoic appearance she always knows she can count on him.

Nicole's phone dings from its place on the coffee table next to her half-filled coffee mug. She had set herself a reminder to meet her friends since she has a tendency to get lost in her work when she gets on a roll. She had given herself a half an hour warning since the coffee shop is only a ten-minute walk away. That gave her twenty minutes to finish up her work, tidy all of her notes and equipment away and swap her sweatpants for jeans.

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later when Nicole arrives at the coffee shop, she finds that she's the last of her friends to arrive. She checks her watch and she's not late, which is good because she hates being late. Her friends must have just arrived early.

"Hey, guys" Nicole greets as she takes the seat next to Rosita, where a large coffee mug was waiting for her arrival. They had automatically fallen into a system of whoever arrives first, buys the coffees.

"Thanks for the coffee Dolls."

"Actually I bought them," Rosita says to Nicole's surprise. Rosita is never the first person to arrive at the coffee shop. If Nicole has to estimate, Rosita has probably bought the group coffee three times since they met.

"I had my coffee date here and I just decided to stay."

"So how was your date this morning? Was it with a girl or a guy?" Nicole asks, taking a sip of her coffee. She didn't get any details from Rosita before she ran out of their apartment like a bat out of hell this morning.

"It was with a girl and it was good. Great actually."

"Well, will this date be getting another one?"

Rosita doesn't answer Nicole's question right away. Instead, she brings her coffee mug up to her lips and takes a drink before setting it back down on the table in front of her. Nicole can sense the nervousness coming from her friend.

"Actually this wasn't our first date. We've been going on dates for over a month now."

"What? So you're dating her, dating as in you have a girlfriend?" Nicole asks.

"Yes," Rosita replies as a bashful smile appears on her face.

Nicole turns to look at Dolls to see his reaction to this news but in true Dolls' fashion, his face is unreadable. It saddens her a little to know that her best friend has been keeping something like this from her. They had shared everything with each other after the whole 'kiss that missed' as Rosita liked to call it. She had so many questions to ask her best friend but she wanted to start with the one at the forefront of her mind.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry but I really like her and I didn't want to say anything until I was sure and now I am sure and want you to meet her. I think you'll really like her" Rosita explains in a rush of words.

Nicole's disappointment disappears at her friend's words. It's not often she's seen Rosita this enthusiastic about a new person she's dating.

"I'd love to meet her but before I do, do I get to know anything about her?" Nicole asks.

"Of course. She's beautiful and she's smart, plus she's ridiculously funny."

"Wow! So how did you, meet a girl like this?" Nicole teases.

"She's friends with a guy in my chem class. You know Jeremy. He and I were doing some work in the library and she came and joined us one day. We ended up talking for a while and then I asked her out for coffee."

"Okay so does this girl have a name?"

"Of course. Her name's Waverly."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of get nervous before I post a chapter but hopefully, it doesn't disappoint. Also I don't have a beta so apologises if there are any mistakes, let me know if there are and I can edit it!

It was early evening on Thursday night when Nicole finally decides that she's finished with her current paper. She got a few pointers from Dolls during the week which helped her to get over the issues she was having with it the week before.

She tidies her things away into a neat pile on the coffee table before pushing herself up from her favourite spot on the floor and sits on the couch she was previously leaning against.

Nicole grabs the remote off the coffee table and turns on the tv before getting herself comfy on the couch. She loads up Netflix and selects the survivalist show she had been watching. She would love to spend a weekend in the middle of nowhere using her skills and intuition to navigate through an unforgiving jungle or mountain range.

Her aunt and Uncle had always been adventurous and her Uncle had taken her to rock climbing lessons when she was a kid. They had always planned to go on a big adventure together but with Nicole always moving from place to place and then moving onto university, they never got the chance.

A knock at the door pulls Nicole out of the show. She wasn't expecting anybody, especially at eight o'clock on a weeknight so she isn't sure who it could be. Maybe Rosita had forgotten her keys, it wouldn't be the first time and she hasn't seen her roommate since they had lunch together that afternoon.

Nicole pulls herself off the couch and heads over to the front door, after unlocking the safety latch she opens it. What she never expected to see was a beautiful girl standing on the other side of the door but that's exactly what she finds. However it wasn't just any beautiful girl, it was the girl from the library.

It catches her off guard for a moment. So she just stares at this gorgeous stranger that's sending her such a beautiful smile for a few seconds.

"Hi," the girl greets and luckily for Nicole he brain manages to function again, just enough for her to reply back.

"Hey."

"I'm Waverly. I'm looking for Rosita."

Her brain works quickly this time to connect the dots that this is Rosita's new girlfriend. She knew that she couldn't be lucky enough to have the gorgeous brunette from the library land on her doorstep and also have her be single.

"I'm sorry, she's not here."

"Oh, we're going to the movies tonight. She texted me and asked me to meet her here at eight. I like to arrive early but I didn't think I was that early" Waverly jokes.

Nicole can't help but smile at the other girl's joke. Well maybe it wasn't the joke, maybe it was just the fact that Waverly looks slighting embarrassed about the situation and Nicole finds that endearing.

"She's probably running late, she gets caught up sometimes. You can come in and wait for her, I'm sure she won't be long" Nicole offers.

"Thanks" Waverly replies, stepping through the door Nicole is holding open for her.

Nicole closes the door and allows herself to glance once more at the other girl. She can't help but immediately notice the height difference between them. Nicole has been tall since she was a kid so it's nothing new to her but there just seems to be something cute about the fact that this girl is shorter than herself.

"It's Nicole, right? Rosita has told me about you" Waverly says, pulling Nicole out of her thoughts.

"Yes it is and all good things I hope. If it isn't then don't believe a word she says" Nicole says, another smile appearing on her face when Waverly laughs at her joke this time. A joke that clearly isn't that funny.

"Please take a seat" Nicole offers, gesturing to the couch.

"Thank you."

Waverly smiles at her again and Nicole swears she's never met anyone with such a bright and happy personality. It's actually quite refreshing, especially when you spend most of your time around Dolls.

Waverly takes a seat on the couch as Nicole moves to sit on the empty space next to her.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Rosita always talks about her best friend Nicole, so it's nice to put a face to the name."

Nicole isn't sure if Waverly knows that Rosita kept her a secret for the first few weeks of their relationship so to avoid putting her foot in it, she decides to steer the conversation to another topic.

"Rosita said that you met through Jeremy. I've only met him a few times but he seems nice."

"Yeah. I went to high school with his boyfriend, Robin. He's a year older but we kept in contact so I met Jeremy through him. You've known Rosita since high school right?" Waverly asks.

"Yeah, we met in sophomore year. I just moved to the school and Rosita took me under her wing, so to speak. We've been best friends ever since. We've been through a lot together. It's definitely been easier getting through college with her by my side."

"I can understand that. My sister lives close by so I always have her to lean on plus I have Jeremy and Robin and of course I have Rosita now too."

"It's definitely good to have a close circle of friends" Nicole agrees.

Rosita had been her friend for years and it was nice to always have her by her side but it also felt good when she extended her friend count from one to two when she met Dolls when she first started at Smith University. He had a different way about him but Nicole always knew where she stood with him. He was blunt and straight to the point and sometimes Nicole needed that.

"It's also nice to add to that circle, so hopefully you and I can become friends too, especially since I am dating your best friend," Waverly says.

"Of course, you're gonna need someone to talk to when Rosita is running late" Nicole jokes.

"So maybe we can start to get to know each other even better. Rosita told me that you want to be a police officer after you graduate. That's a brave choice."

"Thanks. I've just always liked helping people and I've had a few people help me during my life so I kind of want to pay it forward" Nicole explains.

There had been a few people down the line that had influenced her decision to be a cop. One of the main ones was a police officer named Nancy Bennett. Nicole had gone through a phase as a teenager where she acted out to see if she could get a reaction out of her parents.

Officer Bennett had found Nicole and Rosita smoking and sharing a cheap bottle of vodka behind their local church. She confiscated their cigarettes and the alcohol and decided to drive them home without charging them for anything. She told them she wanted to give them a second chance. Rosita was dropped off at home first and on the drive to Nicole's house, Officer Bennett talked to Nicole. She asked her if she was okay and listened to what Nicole had to say when she unloaded all her thoughts about her parents. A drunk mind speaks a sober heart, as they say.

It made Nicole realise that there were people out there that cared and were willing to help and it was then that she decided that she wanted to be one of them.

"That's amazing," Waverly says breaking Nicole out of the memory.

"So what about you, this is your second year of college right? What are you studying?"

"I'm studying history and ancient languages. I'm a huge history buff and I love learning about the past and the intriguing people who lived before us."

"So what do you want to do after you graduate?" Nicole asks.

"I haven't decided exactly what I want to do after graduating but I think teaching history could be a good choice. I get to educate people about something I'm passionate about and hopefully get the new generation interested in the previous generations as much as I am."

"That sounds really cool Waverly. What?" Nicole questions when she sees the face Waverly pulls.

"Most people don't usually describe my passion for history as cool."

"Well, I'm not most people."

"Yeah, I can see that," Waverly says with a smile that makes Nicole think just how lucky Rosita is that she managed to find a girl like Waverly. If only she was as lucky.

The minutes pass by as they keep talking and getting to know each other. Nicole getting embarrassed every once in a while when Waverly relays a story Rosita had told her about them in high school. Nicole finds it easy to talk to the other girl, not once does their conversation feel forced and there are no awkward silences. Nicole especially likes it when she manages to make Waverly laugh and although a lot of the time it's at her own expense, she doesn't mind.

Once again her thoughts drift to how lucky Rosita is to have found a girl like Waverly and speaking of her best friend, Rosita picks that moment to enter the apartment.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. You can blame Jeremy" Rosita explains, walking over to Waverly and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before sitting on the arm of the chair next to her.

"It's okay. I had Nicole here to keep me company."

"Well I'm glad that you finally got to meet, not in the way I had hoped but at least the two of you seem to be getting along," Rosita says.

"Nicole has been nothing but welcoming and we've agreed that we should try and be friends," Waverly says reaching over to pat Nicole on the knee.

"That sounds great and I'm sorry to break up this new found friendship but we should go if we want to catch the movie. I've already slowed us down quite a bit."

"Hey, in the spirit of new friendships, why don't you join us Nicole?" Waverly suggests.

"No, it's okay. You two enjoy your date together, you don't need me third wheeling."

"We don't mind, do we Rosita?" Waverly asks turning to her girlfriend.

"Of course not. It's been ages since we've been to the movies together and it's a female superhero movie, you love those."

"Seriously guys I'm fine. I finally finished my paper so I'm going to try and get to bed early while I have the chance to" Nicole insists.

"Okay, if you're sure" Rosita concedes.

"I am sure. You two enjoy yourselves."

"Alright then Haught. If you're going to sleep early, I'll probably just see you in the morning" Rosita says standing up from her position on the couch with Waverly following suit.

"I'll see you later Rosita," Nicole says as she watches the couple make their way to the door. Waverly stops just before they make it and turns towards her.

"Bye Nicole. It really was nice to meet you and hopefully, next time you can join us."

"It was nice to meet you too Waverly," Nicole says and it was. It was really nice to meet Waverly.

Nicole waits until they both leave and the door is shut behind them before she throws her head back against the couch. She closes her eyes and runs her hands over her forehead and through her hair as if somehow that would erase the thoughts she has in her mind.

It wasn't a big deal that she was attracted to her best friends girlfriend right? There had been other girls that Rosita had dated that she thought were beautiful and even Rosita had mentioned how attractive Nicole's ex-girlfriend, Shae was whilst they were still dating. So it was normal right?

There was just something in the back of Nicole's mind that was telling her that this ran slightly deeper than just casual attraction, which is ridiculous because technically she had just met the girl. Yes, she had been attracted to her the moment she saw her in the library and she always admired the way the girl would be so enthusiastic when she was helping people find books. But that didn't mean anything because they were just passing glimpses that she got of Waverly, they hadn't even spoken a word to each other until tonight.

So it didn't matter that Waverly was beautiful and kind or that she was funny and really listened to what Nicole was saying. No, it didn't matter because the main thing about Waverly was that she was Rosita's girlfriend and Nicole should be happy that her best friend had found such a wonderful girl and she is.

All she has to do now is convince the annoying voice in the back of her mind telling her otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a plan for this story and chunks of it are written but I struggle to piece things together sometimes so please send me ideas or things you want to see. If anyone wants to bat ideas around with me let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan) for letting me talk about this story and for helping me piece it together.

It has been a month since Nicole had met Waverly for the first time and by now she had expected to be over the attraction she was having for the other girl. How wrong she was, it had escalated. Not only was she attracted to her best friend's girlfriend, but she had a full-blown crush.

There had been a few more nights where Rosita had been late for one of her dates with Waverly. So, being the polite, well-mannered human that she is, Nicole had offered to keep Waverly company until her best friend showed up.

That was probably her first mistake. As the weeks passed she got to know more and more about Waverly and the more she learnt the more she liked the other girl. She would get lost in their conversations and it was only when Waverly would leave with Rosita that Nicole would remember the situation that she's in. Then once again she has to remind herself over and over again that this was Rosita's girlfriend. Her best friend's girlfriend.

She thought about distancing herself from the couple but she knew that would draw some suspicion. Rosita would instantly know that something was up, she could always read Nicole like a book. She thought about just avoiding Waverly but that was also tricky as Waverly would just turn up on her doorstep on date nights with Rosita. She thought about pretending not to be in or specifically avoiding the apartment when she knew that the couple had a date but then she thought about Waverly being left outside their apartment on her own waiting for Rosita to arrive and she couldn't do that to her either.

Nicole then settled on the plan to just to bury her feelings deep, deep down inside. This was her second mistake. She has never found it easy to bury her feelings. That's probably why she has such a turbulent relationship with her parents. They weren't great parents and Nicole had told them that, many times. They were always so flippant about it and that frustrated her too. She was such an angsty teen, she just wanted a normal family life and her parents never gave her that. The only upside to her parent's free-spirited lifestyle is that they didn't care when she came out to them.

The trouble with Nicole is that when she set her mind on something she usually found a way to get what she wanted. When she decided that she wanted to be a police officer she wanted to do it probably. She wanted to go to college and work her ass off for four years before taking the entrance exam for the police force and that's what she did. She always set out to do whatever she did, the best she could.

Unfortunately for her, the Waverly situation was different. What she wanted to do, was to forget about her feelings for Waverly. However, her heart and mind who are usually in perfect sync with each other had decided that this time, they wanted different things. Her mind told her that she couldn't have these feelings for Waverly, it was her best friend's girlfriend for god's sake but her heart. God, was her heart not cooperating.

Her heart was an asshole. It wouldn't be the first time that her heart has lead her astray. It happened with her first girlfriend too.

Currently, Nicole was sat watching a movie with the Rosita and Waverly at her apartment. They were all on the couch, Rosita was sat on the left side with one arm wrapped around Waverly, who was cuddled into her. Nicole was sat on the right side meaning Waverly was next to her. She was only half paying attention to the movie, every once in a while her eyes would leave the television in front of her and drift towards the girl sitting next to her.

It feels like torture being so close to the two of them. Nicole knew that it was stupid to feel this way but she can't help the fact that she finds it hard watching the couple interact, jealousy threatening to bubble up whenever they kissed or whenever Rosita made Waverly laugh. Nicole loves being the one to make Waverly laugh.

Nicole tries to keep her concentration on the screen, they were watching some romantic comedy that Waverly had picked out. Nicole isn't really sure what is going on in the movie with her mind being elsewhere. Honestly, she feels kind of claustrophobic being in such a small space with both Rosita and Waverly. She thinks it might be best if she just leaves the couple alone for the rest of the movie. However, before she can make her excuse to leave, Waverly's phone dings.

Nicole watches as Waverly bends over, reaching for her phone on the coffee table. The action makes Waverly's shirt ride up slightly at the back and it takes all of Nicole's will power to avoid looking at the sliver of skin making an appearance. She averts her eyes over to Rosita, hoping that her friend hasn't noticed the slight blush appearing on her face. Rosita hasn't noticed, in fact, it turns out that Nicole wasn't the only one who noticed Waverly's shirt's journey up her back as Rosita is currently appreciating the sight too.

At least Rosita has the right to check out the other girl, considering that she is her girlfriend. Nicole is just Waverly's girlfriend's best friend that she's trying to be nice to so she doesn't feel awkward around them. Well, that's how Nicole sees it anyway.

"Jeremy wants to know if you want to meet him and Robin at Shorty's" Waverly says turning towards Rosita for an answer.

"Sure."

"What about you Nicole?" Waverly asks, turning her attention to Nicole now.

"No thanks. I already feel like a third wheel and now you want me to be a fifth?" Nicole jokes, well she tries to make it come out like a joke and she's pretty sure she manages it but that still doesn't hide the fact that she means what she said.

"Come on. You can call Dolls and ask him to meet us there. Who knows, you might meet a girl and you can stop third wheeling" Rosita says.

"Okay, fine."

Nicole doesn't want to meet a girl, not when she's hung up on Waverly. It wouldn't be fair to the other girl but she could still have a drink and hope that it will ease the pain of being around Waverly for the night.

* * *

 

Since meeting Waverly, Nicole had been wrong about a lot of things. This time it was the fact that she thought drinking alcohol would somehow temporarily block these feelings she has towards her. Why she thought coming to Shorty's was a good idea is beyond her. She was sat even closer to Waverly now, their bodies practically squished together as all of their friends sit together in one booth.

Nicole feels suffocated again, especially as she can smell the flowery scent of Waverly's perfume. It's too much, being this close to Waverly is just too much. She needs space.

"I need another drink," Nicole says to no-one in particular. As she tries to stand up she realises that she needs both Waverly and Rosita to move so she can get out.

"Hey guys, can I get past you?" Nicole asks.

"Sure," Waverly says before turning to Rosita who was in conversation with Jeremy.

"Sweetie, Nicole needs to get out."

Rosita cuts her conversation short and slides out of the booth, Waverly following close behind her.

"Thanks," Nicole says as she exits the booth as quickly as she can.

Nicole walks over to the bar but as she reaches it, the moustachioed man bartending has his attention taken away by a brunette coming behind the bar.

"Hey Doc. Shorty asked me to take the next shift."

Nicole knows the brunette. Wynonna had been working at Shorty's ever since Nicole had moved here four years ago. They had become friendly over the past four years, although Wynonna never remembered what her name was.

Wynonna places something under the bar before stripping off her signature leather jacket and placing that under the bar for safe keeping too. It's then that she notices Nicole waiting at the bar.

"Hey Red, what can I get you?"

"Something to numb the thoughts in my head," Nicole says, deciding to take a seat on one of the stools at the bar. It was probably a good idea to stay away from Waverly for a little bit longer.

"Whiskey okay? It usually helps me block out reality...for a while anyway."

"Sure."

"So what's bothering you?" Wynonna asks as she grabs two glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

"Really you want to do the whole bartender talking about your problems shtick?"

"Why not? It's a quiet night" Wynonna says pouring a healthy amount of whiskey into each glass. One of the glasses Nicole has deduced is for Wynonna herself. Nicole isn't sure if Wynonna should be drinking on the job but what she has learnt from the little she knows about Wynonna, is that she hardly ever follows the rules.

Nicole isn't sure if she wants to tell anybody about her romantic problems. Although it has slowly been eating her up inside and she's had no-one to talk to about it. Usually, she would tell Rosita about these types of things but she can't tell her about this. So maybe talking to Wynonna about it wasn't such a bad idea.

"There's a girl."

"Is she hot?" Wynonna asks cutting Nicole off much to her dismay.

"What? It's a genuine question."

"She's beautiful actually and she's smart and funny" Nicole gushes, not able to keep the smile off her face as she pictures Waverly's own breathtaking smile in her head.

"Sounds perfect but nothing ever is, so what's wrong with her?"

"Nothing, she is perfect. The problem isn't her. She has a girlfriend."

"So, just show her that you're better than her girlfriend," Wynonna says as if it's the simplest suggestion in the world.

"If only it was that easy. Her girlfriend, she a good person. She's actually my bes- "

"Son of a bitch," Wynonna says interrupting Nicole's confession.

"What's up?"

"My sister and her girlfriend are here."

"What?" Nicole asks but she gets her answer as she follows Wynonna's line of sight to the table she's just left, where Rosita and Waverly are sat.

"Waverly is your sister?"

"Yeah. Why, do you know her?" Wynonna asks, her head cocking to the side as she waits for Nicole's answer.

"Rosita, her girlfriend, she's my best friend. You have seen us in here together numerous times."

"I see a lot of people in here okay. So excuse me for not remembering each and every one of them" Wynonna says with a roll of her eyes.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, what's Rosita's story. She a good person?" Wynnona questions, her eyes once again making their way over to where her sister was sitting.

"She's the best," Nicole says and god did she mean it. Rosita was the best friend that she could ask for, unlike Nicole who was being a shitty friend. What kind of friend was she that she was crushing on her best friends girlfriend? At least she would never act on it, that's one line she would never cross.

"Good, although in my eyes no-one is good enough for Waverly. If someone is is interested in my baby sister, it makes me automatically hate them. Sorry, I know she's your best friend but if she hurts my sister then I'll be happy to introduce her to Peacemaker."

Nicole has been coming to Shorty's long enough to know about Wynonna's reputation and the famous pistol she hides under the bar. She actually witnessed it once when a group of drunk frat boys refused to pay their tab, Wynonna convinced them to pay in full, plus a handsome tip with the help of Peacemaker in her hand.

"Shouldn't you be giving this speech to Rosita?" Nicole asks.

"Don't worry, I already did. So enough about them, you were telling me about this girl you like."

Nicole almost forgot with the revelation that Wynonna was Waverly sister, that she was telling the bartender about her problems with a girl. She's glad that she hadn't revealed the fact that the girl's girlfriend was her best friend. Wynonna would have surely put two and two together, she wasn't that oblivious right?

If she knew that she was crushing on Waverly does that mean that Wynonna would automatically hate her? She doesn't want to be staring down the barrel of Peacemaker anytime soon. Although that might be the preferred option if Rosita ever found out that she had feelings for her girlfriend.

"Actually can I get another whiskey?" Nicole asks, eager to change the subject.

"Sure thing Red."

Wynonna reaches for the whiskey bottle and refills both of their glasses. As Nicole takes a huge gulp she notices Waverly appear next to her a the bar.

"Hey Wynonna, I didn't know you were working tonight," Waverly says to her sister.

"Shorty fired Bobo yesterday for stealing money from the tips jar. So we're all pulling extra shifts until he hires someone else. Can I get you something?"

"No, I'm okay. I just came over to talk to Nicole."

"No worries baby girl, hollar if you need anything," Wynonna says. She drains the remaining whiskey in her glass in one go and heads over to the other side of the bar where an elderly man is waiting to be served.

"Hey, are you okay?" Waverly asks, reaching out to place her hand on Nicole's forearm. It's supposed to be a gentle, calming touch but it set's Nicole's skin on fire. A heat that she misses once Waverly removes her hand, deciding to rest it on the bar instead.

"I'm fine."

"I'm sorry if you feel left out when we all hang out together. I never meant to make you feel like the third wheel" Waverly says and Nicole can see the genuine concern on the other girl's face.

"I was joking Waverly, it's fine I promise."

"I don't think you were joking. You might have said it with a smile but I could see it in your eyes that you meant what you said. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'll try harder to make you feel included when we're all together."

"Waverly, you don't have to do that" Nicole says trying to reassure the other girl that she had done nothing wrong.

"I want to. It's not fair to you, besides I like hanging out with you."

"I like hanging out with you too" Nicole replies with a smile to match the one on Waverly's face.

Unfortunately, their moment is interrupted by a yell of "SHOTS!" coming from Rosita who approaches the bar.

"Come on, it's shots time."

"I'll pass thanks" Nicole declares, this is not the time for her to be drinking shots, especially with Waverly around.

"Don't worry, they won't be peppermint. Although they taste like Christmas, right Nicole?" Rosita teases with a wink and an elbow in Nicole's side for good measure.

"I feel like there is a story here," Waverly says with a hint of amusement.

"Nope, you're wrong" Nicole retorts so fast that it makes Waverly's eyebrows raise in suspicion.

"Okay, now I have to know" Waverly begs, using her puppy dog eyes on Rosita. Nicole is just glad that she's not sending them her way or else she would probably just tell Waverly whatever she wanted to know. At least now she knows about Waverly's secret weapon so she can be ready for them in the future.

"Which one do you want to hear?" Rosita asks, sending an amused smirk Nicole's way.

"Hey sis. Rosita, I hope you're treating my baby sister well."

Thank god, Nicole thinks. Thank you for sending wonderful, interrupting Wynonna to get her out of this particular situation.

"Seriously Wynonna? Do we have to do the shovel talk every time we see you?" Waverly asks, the anger and frustration evident in her voice.

"Relax Waves, you know I let Peacemaker do the talking for me. Anyway, what can I get you guys?"

"Surprise us with five of your cheapest shots, plus one for yourself of course," Rosita says.

"Actually make that that four. I think I'm just going to head home" Nicole interjects.

"What? Why? We've barely been here an hour."

"It's been a long day. I think I'm just going to get some sleep."

"Really?" Rosita says, a mixed look of confusion and disappointment flashes across her face.

"Yeah. I asked Nedley to give me longer shifts on a Sunday so I have to get enough sleep to see me through them."

Nicole had been working as part of the campus security team since her second year at Smith University. She thought that it would be a good way to get some experience of being in an authoritative position and dealing with the public, even if it was mainly just drunken university students. Nedley her boss had taken her under his wing and had been accommodating with scheduling her shifts so she can fit it around her classes and any work she needed to do.

He had told her that he had seen something special in her and he wanted to help her become the best damn cop she can, those were his words, not hers.

"Why did you ask for longer shifts?" Rosita asks.

"I thought that if I worked longer on Sunday then I can have more time during the week to get my assignments done" Nicole explains. What she misses out is the part were she actually preferred to be out of the apartment on Sundays as that's when Waverly and Rosita would usually hang out there.

"Oh okay. So you'll be missing the board gaming extravaganza Waverly has planned for us?"

"Yeah sorry about that" Nicole says, her head turning from Rosita to Waverly so she knows the apology is aimed at her too.

"It's okay, maybe some other time" Waverly replies.

"It depends on my shifts but hopefully," Nicole says, sending Waverly a positive smile before continuing.

"I should go. Wynonna how much do I owe you for the whiskey?" Nicole asks, pulling out her wallet from her jeans' pocket.

"It'll be $22 Red."

"$22 for two drinks?" Nicole questions, she doesn't want to assume that Wynonna is bad at math but surely that can't be right.

"I thought you were paying for mine" Wynonna replies.

"I didn't even offer you a drink. You know what never mind" Nicole says, opening up her wallet and placing down two tens and a five.

"You might as well keep the change too."

"I was planning on it," Wynonna says with a smirk as she takes the money from Nicole's hand before she can change her mind.

"I'm going to say goodbye to the guys and then I'm going to go. I might see you sometime tomorrow."

"Okay. Are you sure you're okay getting home by yourself?" Rosita asks.

"I'll be fine. Bye Wynonna"

"Bye Red, thanks for the drinks!"

Nicole can't help but roll her eyes at the older girl, she would never have guessed that she was Waverly's sister. They're so different.

"I'll see you later, enjoy the rest of your night," Nicole says aiming her words at both Rosita and Waverly, before turning to leave.

She walks over to the table where Dolls, Jeremy and Robin were all still sitting and says her goodbyes. As she heads to the exit she takes one last look at the bar. Rosita now has her arm slung around Waverly's waist as they wait for Wynonna to pour them their shots. Nicole didn't want it to be this way, where she felt like she should keep her distance from Waverly but for now, it probably was the best option.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan) for helping me out.

Nicole glances at her watch, checking the time. She is halfway through her eight-hour shift, she had started at eight o'clock this morning and wouldn't be finished until four in the afternoon. Nedley always tries to give her the morning or afternoon shifts on the weekends as much as he can. Nicole was only a part-timer, so she had shorter shifts than the rest of her colleagues. She usually works eight-hour shifts on the weekend and four during the week.

It worked well for both her and her colleagues, especially Jim who preferred night shifts on the weekends so he can spend the day with his wife and children. It was hard working on top of having to study but Nedley has always been accommodating to her, letting her change or swap shifts whenever she needed. Unfortunately for Nicole, she has to have a job. She has no other choice, not after her parents had explicitly told her that they wouldn't have any part in funding her college education.

Usually, most of her shift would be spent watching the cameras that were scattered around campus. However, every few hours one of the officers would do a few laps of the campus so the students would know that there was an authoritative figure around. Although most of them didn't seem to care. If she had a dollar for the number of times she had been ignored or called a rent a cop or something of that nature she would have enough money to pay off her college fees.

Regardless of the lack of respect she gets whilst patrolling the campus, it was still nice to get out of the security room for a bit of fresh air. Nicole loves walking around the campus in her uniform and being that helping hand if anyone ever needs it. Yes, the job can be draining but sometimes it gives her a boost and reaffirms for her, that she is making the right choice becoming a police officer.

Obviously, there is a jump from campus security to a police officer but she still gets that sense of pride when she helps someone on campus. Even if it's as simple as walking a girl back to her dorm at night or keeping an eye out for Tucker Gardner the campus creep. Nicole would love to see the back of Tucker after some of the stunts he's pulled especially since they usually involved young women. However, having a father who donates annually to the university will allow you a lot more leniency than regular students. Which according to Nicole, is complete bullshit.

Nicole carries on her patrol, turning down the path that leads to the front of the university. There is usually a lot more people hanging around this part of campus as it's across from the main street. It seems like most people were grabbing lunch from the local deli and Nicole suddenly craves their famous Cuban sandwich, minus the pickles of course. Hopefully, she can convince Nedley to let her pay the shop a visit for lunch, she's sure she can convince him if she offers to also visit the bakery next door and get him a maple dipped doughnut.

"Hey, nice uniform!" a voice shouts bringing Nicole out of her food daydream.

It's a voice that Nicole recognises but hasn't heard in years. She turns around she sees the smiling face that the voice belongs too.

"Shae! What are you doing here?" Nicole asks.

She isn't sure how she should react. They haven't seen each other in three years. Are they supposed to hug or would that be awkward?

"I have an interview at St Junipers Hospital. I'm hoping to do my internship there next year" Shae explains.

"Wow, so you're thinking about moving back to Elysium?"

"If I get the internship then yes. Speaking of, I should get going but I'm here for the rest of the weekend. Are you free tonight so we can catch up?"

"Yeah. Do you want to get dinner or something?" Nicole asks.

"Dinner sounds great. We can eat at Luigi's for old times sake, say seven thirty?"

"That sounds great."

"It really was good to see you Nicole and I'm already looking forward to seeing you again tonight."

"Me too. Bye Shae."

Nicole just stands there and watches Shae leave, bumping into her ex-girlfriend was the last thing she expected would happen today. Although recently a lot of things have happened that she never thought would. Crushing hard on her best friends girlfriend for one. A small rumble from her stomach brings her attention back to the fact she still hasn't had lunch yet. She'll just have to quicken her pace during her patrol so she can get back to the office sooner and then she can convince Nedley to let her visit the deli. Hopefully a fresh Cuban sandwich will keep her mind of both Shae and Waverly for a while but she doubts it.

* * *

Waverly watches from her place on the bed, as Rosita wearing only her underwear searches through her wardrobe looking for an outfit to wear. Wynonna had offered Rosita a job at Shorty's and she wants to make a good first impression. Waverly was happy for her girlfriend, she really was especially since the place she used to work at was a sleazy biker bar at the edge of the city. She knows that Shorty's would be a better and safer place for Rosita to work but she couldn't shake the feeling that Wynonna had other intentions when she hired her girlfriend

Waverly wants Rosita and Wynonna to bond but knowing her sister, it won't be easy for Rosita. It's like the problem Waverly is having with Rosita's best friend. She thought that she and Nicole had been getting along pretty well. Whenever she would arrive early for a date with Rosita, the two had spent that time talking and getting to know each other. The truth be told, Waverly used to turn up early on purpose so she can spend more time with the older girl.

Waverly has to admit she admires Nicole, from her reasoning of why she wants to be a police officer to the stories that Rosita has told her about how Nicole has always had her back. Nicole is always friendly when they do see each other, so it was surprising that recently Nicole had seemed to distance herself from both her and Rosita. That part might not be exactly true because Nicole seems to still hang out with Rosita, it's only when they have plans together with Waverly that Nicole always seems busy or she only stays for a short amount of time, like the other week at Shorty's.

Maybe Nicole just pretends to like her for the sake of her best friend. It's a thought that's been playing on her mind for a while now and since it's still bothering her, now might be the best time to bite the bullet and ask Rosita her opinion.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" Rosita replies pulling out a pair of grey skinny jeans out of her wardrobe.

"Do you think Nicole likes me?"'

"Of course she does, why would you think otherwise?" Rosita asks with a genuine look of confusion on her face. She pulls on the pair of jeans and buttons them up before sitting next to Waverly on the bed.

"She just seems distant recently, like she doesn't want to be around us or more specifically me."

"She's just got a lot on her plate with her assignments and her job but she still meets up with us every week just like she's always done," Rosita says placing a reassuring hand on Waverly's thigh.

"Exactly she meets up with you and Dolls but whenever we plan something together she always seems busy. I just thought that maybe I did something to upset her."

"I don't think that's true. Nicole likes you, she told me herself and she would never lie to me. The only thing I can think of is that she kind of feels like the third wheel when we hang out. Hey, maybe we can set her up with someone."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Possibly. She's been on a few dates over the past few years but she hasn't dated anyone properly since she and Shae broke up."

"Why hasn't she dated anyone?" Waverly asks. The fact that Nicole hasn't dated anyone kind of surprises her, she assumed that there would be a number of people lining up to date Nicole.

"I mean there have been two girls she's "dated" and I use that word loosely because the longest of those relationships lasted like six weeks. Nicole likes to go all in when she likes someone but I don't think she felt a connection with any of the girls she met so instead of stringing them along she ends things."

"So she didn't feel a connection with any of those girls but she obviously did with Shae, so what was she like?" Waverly asks. She intrigued of what kind o f girl would capture Nicole Haught's heart.

"She was attractive, kind and really smart. She was studying to be a doctor."

"So that's Nicole's type? A kind, beautiful genius?"

"It sounds like your describing yourself," Rosita says with a grin before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Waverly's lips.

"Charmer. Seriously though, do you know any girls like that?"

"There's a girl in my chem class, maybe she'll be a good fit."

"Okay, so we can set them up" Waverly says, she really hopes that this would help stop Nicole distancing herself from them. She knows herself how hard it can be to be the third wheel, she's been it herself for years when she hangs out with Robin and Jeremy.

"Let me talk to Nicole about it first. I don't want her to think that were interfering in her love life."

"Of course. It sounds good, then we can go on double dates."

"I'll talk to her tomorrow but right now I have to get ready for work," Rosita says, getting off the bed and heading back to the wardrobe to look for her black shirt that looks smart but casual and would be perfect for her first day on the job.

"I can't believe that my sister offered you a job at Shortys."

"I know but I'm taking that as a good sign. It'll give us a chance to get to know each other better plus she offered me more money than the other place and I'm a good bartender. Hopefully, Wynonna will respect that" Rosita says as she locates the shirt she was looking for.

She pulls the shirt off its hanger and pulling it over her head. She smooths down the shirt to remove any wrinkles before turning to Waverly.

"How do I look?"

Waverly vacates her spot on the bed and stands in front of her girlfriend to get a proper look. She notices that the right side of Rosita's shirt's collar is slightly sticking up so she flattens it down.

"You look great. So I'll come in later to see how you're doing on your first day" Waverly says with a smile. She leans in to give Rosita a peck on the lips but the moment is interrupted by the sound of the front door closing.

Waverly knows that it's probably Nicole so she decides to take this as an opportunity to test her theory about Nicole's feelings towards her. So she exits the bedroom with Rosita following behind her and finds Nicole standing near the door hanging up her jacket.

"Hey guys" Nicole greets.

"Nicole do you want to join me at shorty's later so we can support Rosita on her first day on the job?"

"Sorry, I'm busy."

Waverly sends Rosita a told you so look, she knew that Nicole has a problem with her.

"Busy with what?" Rosita questions.

"I kind of have a date"

"You have a date?" Rosita asks, unable to hide the surprise in her voice. It's not that she's surprised that her friend can get a date but it's been such a long time she's had one and it's very coincidental since she and Waverly had just been talking about setting her up with someone.

"Yes, why is that so surprising?"

"It isn't. It's just that Waverly and I were just talking about trying to set you up with someone."

"Why were you talking about doing that?" Nicole asks with a mix of surprise and confusion on her face.

"We were worried that you felt like the third wheel when we hang out. So we thought that if we found you someone, then you would be less uncomfortable hanging out with us" Waverly explains who now feels slightly better about her situation with Nicole after talking to Rosita. Nicole was obviously a busy person and maybe it was just unfortunate timing that mean she didn't get chance to spend time with her and Rosita.

"I told you that I didn't feel uncomfortable around you guys. It was a nice thought, but I'm fine seriously."

"So whose your date with?" Rosita asks.

"It's with Shae."

"Shae? As in Shae Pressman, your ex-girlfriend?"

"Yes. Look, it's not really a date, date. We're just catching up" Nicole explains.

"So that's what they're calling it these days."

"It's not a hook up either. She's just back in the city and wants to catch up."

"Okay, just be careful Nicole. If it does turn into more, take things slow" Rosita says with a serious note to her voice and Nicole understands why.

"I know you're just looking out for me but I promise, I know what I'm doing" Nicole replies.

"Good. Anyway, I should get to work. I don't want to be late on my first day, Wynonna has already threatened me twice with peacemaker, I don't want it to be third time lucky."

"If she gives you any trouble, you just tell me. I know how to deal with Wynonna" Waverly says.

"Thanks babe, but I'm sure we'll be fine. I'll see you later on?"

"Yep. Watching my lady work, that's my jam."

"Bye Nicole, good luck on your not date" Rosita shouts as she exits through the door, with a smirk on her face no doubt.

Once her girlfriend is out of sight, Waverly turns towards Nicole with a slight apprehensive look. Nicole has been nice to her but Nicole is always nice to her, it's just then she randomly just avoids her. It's like Nicole is running hot and cold but Waverly is determined to sort this issue they are having.

"Rosita said that it was okay that I hang out here for a few hours. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all" Nicole says with a genuine smile that makes Waverly think that she did overthink about Nicole avoiding her.

"So what time are you meeting Shae?" Waverly asks, taking a seat on the couch.

"Seven thirty. We're having dinner at Luigi's, it's where we had our first date and then it kind of became our place" Nicole replies, taking the seat next to Waverly.

"That sounds kind of romantic and you said it wasn't a date" Waverly teases. It felt easy slipping back into this friends role even after not seeing each other for a while. It almost felt like one of the nights they would hang out waiting for Rosita to arrive.

"When I suggested dinner, I honestly didn't mean it in a date way. I don't know if Shae thought that."

"Can I ask you something personal?" Waverly asks.

"Sure."

"Why did you and Shae break up in the first place?"

"It was kind of the wrong time for us. We met at a party in my first year at Smith, she was in her last year. She had plans to go to Calgary once she graduated, she applied to the medical programme there. Obviously, she got in so at the end of the school year she moved. We tried long distance for about four months but it just didn't work and so we broke up. It was all amicable, it was actually nice to see her again."

"Did you love her back then?"

"Yes. Shae was the first person I fell in love with and apparently I tend to fall in love too quickly."

"I guess you disagree with that theory?"

"To me it didn't feel like it was quick at the time, I was ready to say "I love you" to her after about a month. I know that it's different for everyone but looking back I probably moved too quickly throughout the entire relationship. I was ready to change my life for her. I even thought about moving with her when she went to Calgary, which would have been a mistake. I'm so glad I had Rosita and Dolls talk me out of that idea. That's why Rosita was warning me earlier, she probably thinks I'll go down that path again" Nicole explains.

"Well you only saw her again today and you've already asked her out on a date plus you're going to your old spot no less."

"I honestly asked her just to catch up. I don't know why I referred to it as a date and Shae picked Luigi's not me."

"Okay well see how tonight goes and then you can see if you want to call it a date or not. I agree with Rosita just take it slowly" Waverly says.

"I will, I promise. Like I told Rosita, I know what I'm doing."

Who was she kidding? She has no idea what she's doing. She still has feelings for her best friend's girlfriend and now her ex has shown up and they're going on a might-be date. Nicole has always been the type of person who likes being in control, she doesn't like the fact that she can't control these feelings for Waverly. She needs to get a grip and maybe having dinner with Shae will help with that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your comments and kudos, it means a lot! Once again thanks to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan).

When Nicole arrives at Luigi's she finds Shae waiting for her in the bar area. She looks beautiful in the black dress she's wearing and for a minute Nicole is transported back three years ago to their first date.

"Shae, you look beautiful," Nicole says as she approaches the other woman and pulls her in for a hug.

"Thanks, you look good too. You always did know how to pull off a tie", Shae replies, fingering the soft material of Nicole's skinny tie. She had matched it with a dark pair of blue skinny jeans, a white shirt and a matching blue blazer.

"Thank you. Are you ready to eat?" Nicole asks.

"Yes. Honestly, I missed this placed when we moved. I've not found anywhere in Calgary that has ravioli anywhere near as good."

"It's been a while since I've eaten here too", Nicole admits. It never felt right coming back here when it was their restaurant.

They make their way over to the host's stand and are greeted by an elderly woman who Nicole recognises as Luigi's wife, Mary. She knows of the family that owns the restaurant, most of the people in Elysium did. It was a family run restaurant that always made you feel like part of the family whenever you ate here.

"Table for two please," Nicole says.

"Of course signorina, right this way."

They follow Mary over to a table in the corner of the restaurant. Shae gets to the table first so she takes the seat to the left and Nicole sits down in the seat opposite her. It feels weird that everything seems so comfortable between them. She expected that there might be some awkwardness between them but there isn't.

"Can I get you some drinks?" Mary asks.

"We'll have a bottle of your house red please."

"Of course" Mary replies with a smile, before leaving.

Nicole picks up the menu and glances over it, she's not exactly sure why as she knows what she's going to get. Luigi makes the best lasagna. A few minutes pass and Mary arrives back at the table with a bottle of wine and pours each woman a glass.

"Thanks Mary" Nicole says as Mary fills her glass.

"It's my pleasure. What can I get you to eat?" Mary asks.

"I've waited years to have your spinach and ricotta ravioli again," Shae says.

"Eccellente," Mary says and turns her attention to Nicole "and for you miss?"

"I'll have the lasagna, thank you" Nicole replies.

"Grazie signore. Your meals will be with you shortly" Mary says with a warming smile. She picks the menus up from the table before leaving the two women alone.

"So how's Calgary?" Nicole asks.

"It's great. A lot of hard work but I'm sure it'll pay off eventually. How about you, you still planning on joining the police force?"

"Yeah, Dolls and I are going to sign up for the academy once the school year is over."

"So no waiting around, huh? You'd think after four years of college that you'd take a vacation or something before you sign up" Shae says.

"Joining the academy is all I've ever wanted."

"How are your parents? Have they changed their minds about your plans for the future?" Shae asks before taking a sip of wine.

"I haven't spoken to them in two years."

"I'm sorry Nicole. Is there anyone else that's there for you?"

"I have Dolls and Rosita."

"What about a girlfriend?" Shae asks, she never was one for betting subtle.

"Nope, no girlfriend. What about you?"

"I started seeing someone a year after we went our separate ways but we broke up last year."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, sometimes these things just don't work out. Just look at us, we were great as a couple but the timing just wasn't right. Who knows, maybe our time will come again."

Nicole isn't sure how to respond to that statement and luckily she doesn't have to as a waiter arrives at their table, food in hand.

"The spinach and ricotta ravioli?" he asks.

"That's me, thank you" Shae replies. She sends the waiter a smile as he places the food in front of her before moving onto Nicole.

"And the lasagna for you. Enjoy your meals."

"Thank you," Nicole says. She doesn't waste much time in picking up her knife and fork, eager to taste the food in front of her that smells so delicious.

"So how is Dolls? Is he still with Eliza?" Shae asks, seemingly forgetting the conversation before.

"No they broke up last year, he didn't really talk about it much. You know Dolls."

"The strong, silent type. I remember. What about Rosita, how's she? Are you two still living together?"

"Yeah, we are. Rosita is good, she's got a girlfriend and a new job. She's actually working at Shorty's" Nicole explains.

"It sounds like she's starting to get her act together. She's got one of the greatest minds I've ever seen but that girl sure loves to party."

"Yeah well, we're getting older now."

"You're getting older!? I still have three years on you. Although you've always been an old soul. So what's Rosita's girlfriend like?"

So much for not thinking about Waverly, Nicole thinks. She knew as soon as she mentioned that Rosita had a girlfriend that it was the wrong choice. She was supposed to be enjoying the evening with Shae and not thinking about Waverly but they've only been here for less than half an hour and already the brunette was infiltrating her mind.

"She's nice."

"She's nice? That's all you have to say?"

What else is she supposed to say? That's she's one of the most beautiful people that she's ever met, both inside and out? That's she is smart and kind and passionate about the things she loves? There's nothing she can say about Waverly that wouldn't give away how she feels.

"Yeah, she's nice. She's a good person, Rosita's very lucky."

"I think I'm luckier considering I'm here with you," Shae says with a wink.

"I'll drink to that" Nicole jokes, holding up her wine glass and taking a sip.

Nicole knows that she shouldn't rush into anything with Shae, that would be a huge mistake especially considering that technically, Shae still lives in Calgary. There's just a part of her that thinks maybe seeing Shae again is a sign and maybe Shae was right, there would be a time for them in the not so distant future. Hell, maybe having Shae in her life again would finally end this crush she has on Waverly. That is a lot of maybes and, maybe, that's enough for now.

* * *

Waverly enters Shorty's and finds her sister wiping down the bar. However, her girlfriend is nowhere to been seen and that makes Waverly nervous.

"Hey Waves" Wynonna greets as Waverly approaches the bar.

"Hey. Where's Rosita?"

"She's in the bathroom. Don't worry baby girl, I haven't killed your girlfriend… yet."

"I would appreciate it if you two could just get along."

"I'm on my best behaviour, I promise. I know you might think I'm up to something since I offered her a job but I promise there was no ulterior motive. We needed a new bartender and I saw Rosita in action and knew she could do the job."

"Wait, how did you see Rosita in action?" Waverly asks.

"I may or may not have visited that biker bar she used to work out when you told me that you guys were dating. We had a friendly conversation, I swear. I didn't even get peacemaker out."

"Wynonna" Waverly whines.

"I had to at least give her the talk Waves, it's my duty as your big sister," Wynonna says and before Waverly can reply Rosita approaches them.

"Hey Waves. Have you been here long?" she asks. She doesn't give Waverly a kiss like she normally would and Waverly thinks that's because Wynonna is with them.

"No, I haven't. I arrived a few minutes ago. How's your first day going?"

"It's going fine. I wish I wasn't stuck on bathroom duty though, why do guys always miss the urinal?"

"Wynonna you said that she was in the bathroom, not cleaning them. You know that you're supposed to take turns cleaning them. Has she been making you clean them all of your shift?" Waverly asks her girlfriend, sending an accusatory look at her sister.

Rosita looks between the two sisters, she isn't sure what to say. She doesn't want to piss off either of them.

"It's fine Waves" she says eventually.

"Yeah Waves, it's fine. Besides, it's not like I'm specifically targeting Rosita. I always get someone else to check the bathrooms. If Doc was here, I'd get him to do it" Wynonna says.

"Why does Shorty employ you exactly?" Waverly asks.

"Probably because he feels sorry for me and wants to give me a chance," Wynonna says and immediately Waverly's annoyance with her sister dissipates. "Plus, I can handle the dickheads that come into the bar."

Waverly laughs at her sister. It's funny how Wynonna can annoy her one minute and have her laughing the next.

"Oh, eye candy coming through the door" Wynonna announces.

Waverly turns her head and sees Dolls entering the bar with Jeremy and Robin following behind him. She sends the group a quick wave as they take a seat in their usual booth.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Wynonna but both Jeremy and Robin are gay" Waverly teases.

"I'm not talking about those dweebs. I was referring to Mr. Muscles over there."

"That's Dolls, he's friends with Nicole" Waverly explains.

"Speaking of, where is Red?"

"She's on a date," Rosita says.

"So did she finally tell that girl she liked her?"

"What girl?" Rosita asks and Waverly can see the confusion on her Rosita's face.

"I don't know who it was, she just said she was crushing on some girl that already had a girlfriend" Wynonna explains.

"How did I not know about this?"

"I'm sure she would have told you about it eventually" Waverly reassures her girlfriend.

"Well it's not the mystery girl anyway because it's with Shae, her ex-girlfriend," Rosita tells Wynonna.

"Oh, tell me more," Wynonna says leaning on the bar so she's closer to Rosita.

"There's nothing much to tell. They dated about three years ago but then Shae moved away and the long distance thing didn't work. They bumped into each other this afternoon and now they're having dinner."

"Well, that's boring. I wanted some juicy gossip" Wynonna says with a huff.

"I'm sorry. I got nothing for you."

"Okay, so what's the story on the beefcake over there?"

"He's studying criminal justice with Nicole. He wants to be a cop too" Rosita says.

"A cop? Never mind, I'll pass."

Rosita rolls her eyes at Wynonna's quick dismissal of Dolls. She doesn't say anything though as she's trying to get along with Wynonna for Waverly's sake.

"Why don't you take a seat and I'll bring a round over to the table?" she says to her girlfriend.

"Thanks babe."

Waverly ignores the sound of disgust that Wynonna makes and heads over to the booth her friends are occupying.

"Hi everyone!" Waverly greets as she approaches the table.

She takes the free seat next to Dolls and it's only a few moments later that Rosita arrives with a round of drinks for everyone.

"Thanks" Waverly says as Rosita places a whiskey in front of her.

"No problem. Let me know when you want round two."

Waverly watches as Rosita heads back behind the bar. Wynonna is there to pulling pints for the usual crowd that occupies Shorty's.

Jeremy laughs at something Robin is saying, Waverly isn't sure what. She has missed most of the conversation, so there's no point in trying to catch up.

Instead, she lets her mind wander to Nicole and her maybe-date with Shae. She was hoping that Nicole would have joined her tonight, she wanted to improve her relationship with Nicole and she had a night planned where they could clear the air and talk.

It's irked her a little bit that this stranger has come in and taken Nicole away from her for the night. Although technically, she's not a stranger; she's Nicole's ex-girlfriend. That irks her even more but she isn't exactly sure why. She wishes she knew more about Shae because she can't exactly get a read on her from what little Nicole and Rosita have told her.

Waverly is currently sitting next to Dolls, so maybe he could enlighten her a bit more about the mysterious Shae. Although, she isn't sure how to approach the subject without it seeming odd. It's not like Nicole is the current topic of conversation at the table. So maybe she could make her be.

"So how's school?" she asks the man sitting next to her.

"It's good."

"Nicole told me that you both want to enrol in the academy together once you graduate."

"That's correct."

Trying to get blood out of a stone was easier than starting a conversation with Dolls; maybe she should just be direct instead.

"So what's your opinion on Shae?"

"She's a nice person but Nicole went all in with her too fast. Why?" Dolls asks, slightly cocking his head to the side.

"I want to get to know who Nicole is and her past is part of that. I know that Rosita was concerned with how things were with Shae before, so I just wanted your opinion. I'd hate for Nicole to get into a relationship for the wrong reason. She's a really good person and she deserves someone good for her."

"I didn't know that you were so interested in her well being."

"Of course I am! Nicole is Rosita's best friend and hopefully, she'll be open to being my friend too."

"I'm sure she will," Dolls says with a knowing look, that Waverly doesn't really understand.

"Oh hey, Nicole's here!" Jeremy says pulling Waverly's attention away from Dolls and over to where Nicole was entering the bar.

Her eyes move quickly on to the gorgeous woman entering behind her. She really was gorgeous. Although in Waverly's opinion, she was nothing compared to Nicole, who looked amazing in the outfit she was wearing. Waverly never thought a tie could look that good on somebody.

"Hey everyone, this is Shae. Shae this is everyone" Nicole greets, taking Waverly out of the borderline inappropriate thoughts she was having. "Obviously you know Dolls, this is Jeremy and Robin and this is Waverly, Rosita's girlfriend" Nicole introduces, gesturing at each person she names.

"It's nice to meet you all" Shae says.

"Hi Shae. Come and join us" Jeremy says, shuffling along in the booth to make room for the newcomers.

Shae sends Jeremy a warm smile and thanks him as she takes a seat in the booth. Nicole takes the seat next to her which is also the spot across from Waverly.

Jeremy immediately pulls Shae into a conversation that Waverly once again ignores, her focus staying on the redhead in front of her. Nicole turns towards Waverly and their eyes meet for a few moments but it doesn't feel awkward like Waverly thought it might.

"So how's Rosita's first day going?" Nicole asks.

"She's doing great and Wynonna has been on her best behaviour. Well, since I got here anyway. I'm sure if I wasn't there would be more skulduggery going on."

"I'm sure Rosita can handle herself, even if Wynonna is kind of scary."

"She might seem scary to those who don't know her but to those that do, she's the best person you can know" Waverly says.

"Well, hopefully, I can get to know her so I don't have to be worried about her aiming peacemaker at me."

"She hasn't brought out peacemaker in a long time. People like to exaggerate a lot. Besides the last time she did use peacemaker, it was all stupid Carl's fault."

"When isn't it stupid Carl's fault?" Nicole jokes.

Waverly laughs at Nicole's joke and from then on the conversation flows easily. She's starting to regret wasting so much time thinking that Nicole didn't like her. It was obvious they got on well. Nicole seems to know how to make Waverly laugh so easily. She's nearly forgotten about the other people at the table with her full focus being on Nicole.

"Hey Nicole, can you get us some drinks?" Shae asks, bursting the bubble Waverly and Nicole had found themselves in.

"Yeah, sure. Can I get anyone else anything?"

"We'll take another round, won't we?", Jeremy says turning to Robin with a goofy smile.

"Yes, we will. Thank you Nicole" Robin says on both his and his slightly tipsy boyfriend's behalf.

"I'll come with you" Waverly offers, hoping that she can finally get some alone time with Nicole.

There is no one tending the bar when they reach it. Wynonna is currently busting tables so Waverly takes this as her chance to talk to Nicole.

"So how did things go with Shae?" she asks.

"They were okay. It was easy being together again. I thought it might be awkward but it wasn't."

"So do you think you'll get back together?"

"I don't know, it's too soon to tell. We just had one dinner and we need more time but Shae is leaving tomorrow. There's no point trying again if Shae isn't moving here, so I think we'll keep to being friends for now and we'll see if that connection is still there. If it's not, then I might as well give up on girls and get myself a cat" Nicole says jokingly.

"You like cats?"

"Yeah. My parents wouldn't let me have one as a kid but my Aunt and Uncle had one. I loved that fur ball. I've thought about getting one and Rosita said she wouldn't mind but I've just not taken the plunge and got one yet."

"What are you guys talking about?" Wynonna asks, appearing back behind the bar and effectively interrupting the conversation between Waverly and Nicole.

"Nicole wants a cat."

"Well, you do look like the type of girl that loves pussy..."

"Wynonna" Waverly whines.

"Cats. Pussycats, you didn't let me finish" Wynonna says with a smirk.

"I think we both know what you were doing."

"I plead the fifth, baby girl. So what can I get you? Another round for the table?" Wynonna asks, already grabbing glasses from underneath the bar.

"That'll be great, thanks 'Nonna."

"Can you add a whiskey and a gin and tonic to that too please?" Nicole asks, she suddenly got a taste for whiskey and even after three years, she remembers Shae's drink of choice.

"No problem Red. So is that the ex?" Wynonna probes, her head nodding in Shae's direction.

"Yes, that's Shae. How do you know about her?"

"Rosita told me when I asked where you were."

"So are you and Rosita friends now?" Nicole teases, to which Wynonna scoffs.

"We're not friends but I'm going to try and be nice to her because that's what Waverly wants."

"Aww, Wynonna your so sweet," Waverly says rubbing salt into her sister wounds.

"Don't tell anyone babygirl, you either Red. Go sit down. I'll get Rosita to bring your drinks over."

"Where is Rosita? She better not be cleaning the bathrooms again" Waverly says with a warning tone to her voice.

"Relax Waves. She's changing a barrel. I told you that I was on my best behaviour and I keep my promises."

"I believe you Wyn. Come on Nicole, let's join the others."

As they arrive back at the table Waverly takes the seat across from Nicole once again. She feels a lot happier now, knowing that her and Nicole have a blossoming friendship. She's already formulating a plan on how they can get even closer.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking by me with this story, it's my first story for a while and I'm still trying to get back into the groove of things so sometimes I find it hard to get that inspiration going. So apologies on the time between chapters. As always thanks to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan) for letting me talk through this story with you.

When Nicole mentioned that she had always wanted a cat to Waverly, she thought that it would just be a passing comment. What she didn't expect was to be woken up early on a Saturday morning by a coffee carrying Waverly, who had planned to take her to the local rescue so that her dream of being a cat owner could become a reality.

It had been a few weeks since her dinner with Shae. Shae was now back in Calgary and they have kept in contact but it's been nothing but friendly correspondence between the two of them. However, in those weeks, Nicole has been spending more time with Waverly. She soon realised that trying to avoid her wasn't working and after Rosita had talked to her and explained that Waverly thought she didn't like her, Nicole knew that she couldn't continue acting how she has been doing.

Most of her time spent with Waverly had been in a booth at Shorty's as Rosita worked. However, today it was just the two of them. Rosita was part of the original plan but she was roped into helping Wynonna set up for a birthday party at Shorty's. The trip had to happen today as it was one of the rare Saturdays that Nicole had off; this was down to Lonnie who had asked if Nicole would switch shifts with him this weekend.

Nicole was actually happy about the twist of fate as it was a beautiful day. The sun is shining as they walk towards their destination. The rescue was a twenty-minute walk outside the small city of Elysium they lived in. Nicole had offered to pay for an Uber but Waverly insisted that they took advantage of the rare sunny day and suggested they walk. Nicole didn't mind, she would rather walk with Waverly than patrol the university campus any day of the week.

"I'm so excited," Waverly says with her trademark smile.

"Shouldn't I be the excited one? I'm the one that's actually getting a cat."

"I know but I get to play with it all the time. I'll have to make up excuses so I can come to your apartment more."

"You don't need an excuse," Nicole says and then quickly adds "to see the cat."

They approach a road sign letting them know that were entering the small town of Arcadia they were looking for. The sign underneath reads: "PURGATORY 15 MILES."

"I can't believe there's a place called Purgatory," Nicole says with a laugh of disbelief.

"I can. I grew up there, actually."

"Really? Is that how you know about the rescue centre here?"

"Yeah. Wynonna brought me there once to look at the puppies. She thought it would cheer me up but seeing all the dogs that needed homes just upset me more. She never brought me back again."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't too bad. I adopted a hamster and brought him home with us. His name was Pikachu" Waverly says, a smile appearing on her face at the memory.

"So have you and Wynonna always been close?"

"Kind of. Wynonna and I have a complicated relationship" Waverly explains and Nicole can sense the unsure tone in Waverly's voice.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay, it's just hard for me to talk about," Waverly says with a downcast look. It unnerves Nicole to hear Waverly sound so despondent when she's usually such a positive person.

"Then we won't talk about it. So are you ready to pick out the perfect kitten?"

"Of course!" Waverly beams and just like that, Waverly's usual self seems to return.

Nicole just listens as Waverly talks excitedly about what kind of kitten she is looking for as they walk towards the rescue. She could listen to Waverly talk for hours, she always seems to be really passionate about anything she speaks about, it's one of the things she likes most about her.

When they enter the rescue, Nicole understands how a young Waverly would get upset at seeing all the animals in cages, waiting for a new home. It makes Nicole hope that she does find a cat to take home as she wouldn't want Waverly to leave this place disappointed or upset again.

They slowly make their way along the row of cages filled with mostly adult cats, the kittens are obviously the more popular choice. She isn't bothered what cat she gets as long as it's the right fit for her.

Nicole is looking at an older looking tabby cat when she feels Waverly grab her hand. Waverly drags her over to a cage at the end of the hallway where a small ball of ginger fur is curled into the corner.

"Aww, it's a cute little redhead just like you," Waverly says.

Nicole isn't sure if Waverly realises that she just called her cute but she'll take it as a compliment anyway. She also can't help but think how perfectly Waverly's hand fits in hers. She knows how cheesy that sounds but still, she thinks it's true.

"I'm not little. I'm like a foot and a half taller than you."

"I think you're exaggerating a bit there. Oh look it's coming over" Waverly says.

The kitten tentatively makes it's way over to the bars of the cage, where Waverly has poked a finger through.

"It's a girl. Her name is Jane" Nicole says as she reads the sign attached to the cage.

"Hey, like Calamity Jane! I've been writing about her for my history class" Waverly replies.

The kitten finally approaches Waverly's finger and gives it a little sniff before deciding that Waverly is friendly enough for her to nuzzle her nose against.

"She's perfect Nicole. We can call her Calamity Jane or we can call her Calamity for short."

"You really want to name her Calamity Jane?" Nicole asks.

"We can always call her CJ for short if you prefer."

Nicole notices that Waverly has been using the word 'We' a lot when referring to the potential adoption of a cat. It's probably just automatic and Waverly probably doesn't realise she's actually saying it but every time she does, Nicole's heart skips a beat.

She likes the idea of them being a 'We'. She can imagine them picking out their first pet together before heading back to their apartment, to their home. God, she needs to get it together. This is the reason she wanted to stay away from Waverly because every time they're together, her mind wanders into places it shouldn't.

"Hello ladies. My name's Julie, can I help you with anything?" a short, middle-aged lady asks.

She's wearing a polo shirt with the rescue's name on it so it's obvious that she works here and Nicole is thankful to the woman for pulling her out of her pleasant, if not dangerous thoughts.

"We were just admiring this little cutie" Waverly replies, bending over to peek at the small kitten once more.

"Little Jane here is the last of a litter of five still waiting to find her forever home. She was the runt of the litter and funnily, the only full ginger kitten. She can get a bit moody at times and she's had a few swipes at the male employees so seems to have a preference for women but she's still harmless."

"Aww, Nicole she's perfect!"

"Is this your first time owning a pet together?" Julie asks.

"Oh no, we're not together," Nicole says stumbling slightly with the words. It's only then she realises that Waverly still has ahold of her hand, which Nicole drops quickly as if it's a hot piece of coal.

A confused look appears on Waverly's face after Nicole drops her hand so quickly, so Nicole decides just to avoid Waverly's eyes and looks towards Julie instead.

"My apologies," Julie says and Nicole wonders if she can feel the weird tension that's just formed between them.

"So who's the one that's interested in adopting today?"

"That'd be me."

"Is this your first time owning a cat?" Julie asks.

"Yeah. I never got the chance to own a pet growing up. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"It shouldn't matter. We just want our animals to go to a loving home. So do you think you'd be interested in giving this lovely girl a home?"

Nicole isn't sure if it's the sad eyes that the kitten is giving her or the excited look on Waverly's face that makes her decision easy. Either way, it looks like she's about to be the brand new owner of a small ginger kitten.

"I would love to take her."

"That's great. Obviously, we have to ask you a couple of questions before we go any further but don't worry, it's just procedure. If you would both follow me to the office, we can get started."

Half an hour later Nicole and Waverly leave the rescue centre and little Jane behind. Julie had explained that someone from the rescue would come and visit Nicole during the week to make sure that they were the perfect fit for each other.

"Hey, maybe we can stop by the pet store and buy Calamity Jane some things" Waverly suggests.

"That's tempting fate a bit, isn't it? What if they don't think I'm suitable to have her?"

"Julie said that you tick all the boxes and that a home visit is just procedure. Calamity Jane would be lucky for you to be her cat mother."

"First of all, can we never refer to me as being a cat mother again and secondly, are you really sticking with Calamity Jane?"

"Yes, but we can still call her CJ for short" Waverly says with a smirk creeping on her face.

Great. So not only has Waverly just talked her into getting a cat, she's also named it too. Although technically the cat's name was already Jane and Waverly has just added to it. So it's not like Waverly had chosen the name right? Who is she kidding, Waverly could have suggested any name and she probably would have gone with it. She would probably just about do anything for Waverly Earp if she asked.

"Can I ask you a question?" Waverly asks, bringing Nicole out of her thoughts.

"Sure."

"Why did you get weird when that woman at the rescue thought we were together?"

Okay, so Nicole was definitely not expecting that question. It surprises her so much she stops walking.

"I didn't get weird. I just didn't want you to feel uncomfortable" Nicole says, hoping to god she sounds believable.

"Why would I feel uncomfortable? You know that I never hide my sexuality from anyone."

"I know that and it wasn't because I didn't think you wanted people to know you're Bi. It's just that I'm your girlfriend's best friend. I thought you'd think it was awkward or weird that someone would think that we're together."

"Nicole, you're not just Rosita's best friend to me. You're my friend too, you know that right?" Waverly asks with such sincerity in her heart that it makes Nicole's heart squeeze inside her chest.

"Of course I do."

"Good and for future reference I wouldn't find it weird or awkward if people think we're together. I would be flattered that they think I have such good taste in women." Waverly jokes and winks in Nicole's direction before she carries on walking.

God, Waverly was going to be the death of her.

* * *

 

As they walk back through the small town of Arcadia, Waverly convinces Nicole to stop at a little ice cream parlour they find as they walk along the main street. Nicole couldn't deny Waverly's request since she already vetoed the pet store idea. Since the sun was still shining, they decide to sit on a bench in the nearby park and enjoy their ice cream. Waverly had gone for the vegan-friendly coconut milk ice cream and Nicole had gone for an old favourite of just chocolate.

"How's your ice cream?" Nicole asks.

"It's good, really good. It's hard sometimes just to find vegan ice cream, never mind finding a good one. Would you like to try it?"

"No thanks, I'm good," Nicole says, bringing her ice cream to her mouth as if she's trying to emphasise her point.

"Oh come on, try it," Waverly says, holding out her cone to Nicole.

There's a mischievous glint in her eyes as she moves the cold ice cream over towards Nicole's mouth. Nicole tries to bat the cone away with her free hand that isn't holding her own cone. However, Waverly grabs that hand with her own and pushes it away, keeping hold of it so she has the advantage.

"You're a lot stronger than you look."

"Thank you, now try the ice cream," Waverly says. She manages to reach her arm out just enough for the ice cream to hit Nicole's mouth. Nicole tries to turn away in an act of defiance but just ends up getting the ice cream all over her face.

"Delicious right?" Waverly asks with a smirk, as she pulls the cone away from Nicole before licking the ice cream that has started to melt and was slowly dripping down the cone.

"I didn't get a chance to taste it considering most of it went around my mouth rather than inside of it," Nicole says. She licks her lips and uses the back of her hand to try and remove as much of the ice cream on her face.

"You should have just tried it," Waverly says with not a hint of remorse in her voice.

"I'll bear that in mind next time."

"You missed a bit," Waverly says and before she knows what she's doing, her hand is reaching towards Nicole's face. She uses her thumb to remove the ice cream that was remaining just by the corner of Nicole's mouth.

"Erm, thanks," Nicole says, only just managing to get the words out.

"You're welcome."

Waverly tries to hide the fact that she's blushing as she wipes the ice cream off her thumb and onto the tissue she was given with her cone. She isn't sure what possessed her to do that, she just feels comfortable around Nicole that her actions just happen naturally. There's a weird energy in the air again so she decides that it's probably best if she gets a conversation going again.

"You better call me when you find out if Jane is going to be yours," she says.

"Don't worry, you'll be the first to know."

"Good, I want to come to the pet store with you. I wonder if they have little cat outfits."

"We're not dressing her up in an outfit," Nicole says with so much affirmation that it makes Waverly laugh.

"I was kidding. Although I bet she'd look cute in a little cowboy hat."

"You know what, I think I might be rethinking this whole friendship thing with you."

"Please! You love hanging out with me!" Waverly teases.

"You're so cocky."

"We'll am I wrong?"

"No you're right, I do like hanging out with you."

"Good, because I like hanging out with you too," Waverly says, a huge smile appearing on her face.

She's been waiting to have a moment like this with Nicole. Ever since they met she wanted to be friends with her girlfriend's best friend but she didn't imagine that she would like her this much. She loves that Nicole is a kind and warm-hearted person and even though she does tend to lean on the serious side she also has that small part of her that is a little goofy.

It's been nice for Waverly to have someone else to hang out with since Rosita has been working a lot more. Sure she has Jeremy and Robin, but it's nice to be around another female. Nicole seems to understand her more than anybody does, including her own girlfriend in fact. No, it was bad to have thoughts like that, to compare the girl she's dating to another girl. Especially when said girl is your girlfriend's best friend.

Although, it was hard not too when she was with Nicole. Nicole who is so sweet, who Waverly feels she can really talk to. Obviously, Rosita is a kind and caring person too and Waverly does like her but she's not sure if there is anything more to their relationship than that. Again, she shouldn't be having these kinds of thoughts.

Nicole's phone dings, pulling Waverly out of her internal battle. She watches as Nicole pulls out her phone, smiles at whatever the text message says and hits a few buttons in reply.

"Who was it?" Waverly asks before mentally scolding herself for nosing into Nicole's business.

"It was Shae" Nicole answers, slipping the phone back into her pocket.

"So how are things going between the two of you?"

"They're okay. We just text once in a while just to keep up to date. She's supposed to hear whether she got the internship any day now" Nicole explains without a thought and Waverly is thankful that Nicole doesn't seem bothered that Waverly is interested in her love life.

"If she does, do you think that you two would give your relationship another go?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. It's been years since we were together, we'd have to get to know each other again before I would even consider that."

"That's good," Waverly says, before quickly adding, "Not that you might not get together again but the fact that you are being mature about this and taking things slow."

Waverly internally cringes that she let those words slip out of her mouth without thinking. That seems to happen a lot around Nicole recently. Although, since she's has already intruded on Nicole's relationship with Shae, she might as well ask her other questions that have been on her mind recently.

"So are there any other girls you're interested in?"

"No, why?" Nicole asks, with a questioning look on her face. She seems somewhat surprised by Waverly's question.

"No reason" Waverly replies, her eyes drifting towards her ice cream so she doesn't have to look at Nicole's.

"You're acting weird. Has someone said something?"

"Wynonna might have mentioned that you have a crush on someone" Waverly admits.

"Of course she did. Well, I don't anymore, I got over it. I'm not interested in anybody at the moment" Nicole says and Waverly isn't sure if Nicole is trying to convince her with that statement or herself.

"Well, you never know. The love of your life might just come out of nowhere and surprise you," Waverly says with her usual amount of optimism.

"Or they might have been in front of me all along" Nicole mumbles, it's quiet but just loud enough for Waverly to hear.

Waverly isn't sure if Nicole knows that she heard that statement and maybe it was a passing comment but she can't help but feel like there was more to it than Nicole was letting on. Did Nicole lie to her about being interested in someone? The phrase Nicole used made it seem like it was someone close to her. The obvious answer was Shae. However, Nicole had just admitted that there wasn't anything going on there and Waverly believed her.

Surely, it couldn't be Rosita. They had been friends for years and nothing romantic had happened between them apart from a drunken kiss that both of them easily dismissed as a one-off mistake. There is another person it could be but it was too dangerous for Waverly to even contemplate that thought. If it was who she was thinking, then she isn't sure how she would deal with it.

If she was the girl that Nicole was crushing on she wouldn't feel weirded out by the revelation, she would feel the opposite in fact. That's why even just thinking about it was dangerous. It was bad enough if Nicole had a crush on her or if she had a crush on Nicole but if they both had feelings for each other, then that would be a disaster.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all of those still following this story, it means a lot. As always thanks to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan)

Nicole had spent most of the afternoon after her shift cleaning every inch of her apartment. Any minute now, someone from the shelter would be turning up with Calamity Jane. She still has to go through a quick check to make sure her apartment is suitable but still, this could be the day that Nicole finally gets the cat she's always wanted. She picks the cushion up from the couch and gives it a little shake, trying to make sure that it's back into a perfect square.

"I think you've fluffed that cushion enough" Waverly teases as she enters the living room with Rosita following behind her.

They had been hauled up in Rosita's room as Nicole had told them that they were in the way as she tried to get everything ready for the home visit.

"I just want everything to be perfect."

"You're worrying too much, everything is going to be fine" Waverly assures her.

"You should listen to her, she's pretty smart," Rosita says.

When Nicole had told Waverly that her appointment for her home visit had been scheduled, she didn't expect the other girl to be there for it. She assumed that she would turn up sometime after but nope, Waverly had turned up on her doorstep half an hour ago, clutching a brand new cat toy in hand.

"Although I'm still disappointed that you're here to see the cat and not me," Rosita continues, looking at her girlfriend who rolls her eyes in response.

"I see you all the time," Waverly says and laughs at the pout Rosita sends her. "Plus I'll come by Shorty's after, I promise."

"You better. I'm on a shift with Wynonna again tonight, so it's nice to have you there as a buffer. Although she has been oddly nicer towards me recently, she's been giving me a lot more responsibilities, so that's nice" Rosita says and just as she finishes the doorbell rings.

"Speaking of responsibilities, I think that might be my cat!" Nicole beams.

When Nicole opens the door she's slightly relieved to see that Julie, the woman she talked to at the shelter, was going to be the one conducting her home visit.

"Hello Nicole, how have you been?" Julie asks.

"Good, thanks. Please come in" Nicole says, closing the door behind the older woman as she steps into the apartment.

Julie notices the other two women standing in the living room and sends them both a smile.

"This is my roommate Rosita and her girlfriend Waverly" Nicole introduces.

"Ah yes, we met at the shelter," Julie says as her eyes meet Waverly.

Nicole silently begs that Julie won't bring up the fact that she thought Waverly was her girlfriend. She isn't sure she can deal with that right now. Thankfully, Julie doesn't mention a thing.

"It's nice to see you again," Waverly says.

"Okay, so should we get started? It won't take very long. I've brought Jane with me, you easily ticked the boxes so this is more of a formality just to make sure your apartment is suitable. Do you mind if I let her out?" Julie asks turning towards Nicole.

"No that's fine, go ahead."

Julie bends down towards the cat carrier and unlocks the metal gate on the front. She waits for a moment or two but the kitten stays in the curled up in the back of the box.

"I'm sure she'll come out when she's ready."

"Can I get you a drink or anything?" Nicole offers.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you dear. The sooner we get this done the sooner Jane can get settled. I have two more houses to visit today."

Julie pulls out a binder and a pen from her handbag and sets them down on the breakfast bar that divides part of the kitchen and the living room. She flicks through all the pages of documents until she finds the one she's looking for, she then pulls it out and lays it on the table too. Nicole joins Julie by the breakfast bar as Waverly and Rosita take a seat on the couch.

Julie starts to fill out the form, asking Nicole questions every once in a while. It feels just like a friendly conversation and that eases Nicole's nerves. Whilst they talk Jane slowly emerges from the cat carrier. She takes in her new surroundings and slowly makes her way over to Waverly.

She tentatively sniffs at Waverly's ankle before letting out a string of meows. Waverly bends down and picks up the kitten and places her on her knee. It only takes a few seconds for Jane to knead Waverly's knees before sinking down and curling into a ball.

Nicole's heart squeezes at the interaction, she can't tear her eyes away from the scene in front of her. Jane seems smitten with Waverly already but, who could blame her? It didn't take Nicole long to become smitten with the girl either.

"It looks like someone's in love," Julie says.

"What?" Nicole chokes out almost in a panic. Did Julie catch onto her staring?

"It looks like little Jane has picked her favourite," Julie says gesturing with her head towards Waverly, who now has a sleeping kitten on her knee.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess she has."

God, she was an idiot. She shouldn't have been staring at Waverly in the first place but then almost panicking when she thought she was caught was the worst thing she could have done. She isn't sure what made her panic the most, the fact she was almost caught staring or the fact that the L word was mentioned. It's one thing to have a crush on your friend's girlfriend but to be in love with her was unimaginable.

Nicole couldn't help but imagine it though, her and Waverly together. Those type of thoughts have completely taken over her mind. Waverly had completely taken over her mind. Ever since they met she thinks about the other girl. If only she had taken a chance at the library one day. Who knows what could have happened if she had introduced herself. One thing for sure is that she would still have the same feelings for Waverly. At least they wouldn't have been as inappropriate as they are now.

There's no point in lying to herself. Her feelings towards Waverly have been growing. She should have known that she would end up here one day, admitting to herself that she was in love with Waverly. Although, she never would have guessed that all it would take was seeing Waverly with her cat curled up on her knees.

"So I think everything looks good here. I just need the adoption fee and for you to sign here" Julie says, bringing Nicole out of her thoughts. She had almost forgotten that the other woman was there.

Nicole takes the pen that Julie is offering her and signs the papers. She gets out a couple of notes from her wallet and hands the money over to Julie who sends her an appreciative smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality ladies and Nicole, thank you for giving Jane a home. If you need anything then feel free to call the shelter" Julie says, holding out her hand for Nicole to take.

Nicole shakes Julie's hand and walks the older woman over to the front door.

"Thank you for all your help, Julie. Goodbye."

Once the door shuts, Nicole breathes a little sigh of relief. It was finally official, Calamity Jane was hers. Although it looks like she is Waverly's with the way the kitten is still fast asleep on the other girl's lap.

"She's just as adorable as you said," Rosita says, scratching the Calamity behind her ears.

"Would you like to take her? I mean she is your cat" Waverly asks Nicole.

"I think she's happy where she is for now" Nicole replies. Who could blame the little kitten for wanting to be in Waverly's arms? Nicole couldn't, that's for sure. Oh god, now she's even jealous of her cat.

"So I thought we could go and see a movie tomorrow," Rosita says to Waverly.

"I can't. I already promised Nicole that I would look after Calamity Jane whilst she was at work."

"Okay well, I can help and we can watch a movie here or something?"

"I was going to use the time to get some of my work done but maybe afterwards?" Waverly suggests.

"I can't, I have a shift at Shorty's. That's the only place we seem to hang out now."

"That's not my fault," Waverly says with slight irritation.

"I never said it was"

"You implied it. Look, we can do something on Saturday after I finish my shift at the library. Okay?" Waverly asks the irritation seems to have eased from her voice.

"Okay but we also have that party at Eliza's on Saturday night remember."

"I remember."

"You better be there too Nicole," Rosita says to her best friend who has been standing there quietly through the whole exchange.

"I have to stay with Calamity" Nicole replies.

"I'm sure she'll be fine for a few hours. You can always come and check on her, Eliza's parent's house is close by."

"Okay fine, I'll come for an hour or two," Nicole says, she might as well admit defeat because she knows that Rosita won't stop until she agrees to go.

"That's the spirit! Now, I need to get ready for work."

Rosita leaves her position on the couch and heads into her room, closing the door behind her. Nicole takes this opportunity to sit next to Waverly on the couch. She can't help but smile as she reaches over and runs her hand down Calamity Jane's back. They sit in silence for a few minutes before Waverly eventually speaks.

"See? I told you that you had nothing to worry about. I knew the people at the shelter would love you. Who wouldn't?" she says, keeping her eyes on the small ball of ginger fur on her knee.

"Thank you for coming with me to the shelter and for being here today."

"You don't have to thank me. I wanted to be there for you."

This time Waverly does look up at Nicole, their eyes meet and Nicole swears she feels a connection between them. The sound of Rosita's door opening ruins the moment. Nicole shuffles slightly on the couch to create more distance between her and Waverly, hoping that the other girl doesn't notice.

"I'm going to head out but I'll see you later on tonight, right babe?" Rosita asks as she enters the living room pulling on a jacket.

She makes her way over to Waverly and goes to drop a kiss on her lips but is met with Waverly's cheek instead. Rosita doesn't seem to take much notice of the small action, but Nicole does.

"I'll be there," Waverly says, turning her attention away from her girlfriend and back onto the kitten on her lap, slowly running her fingers through Calamity Jane's fur.

"Bye CJ," Rosita says as she gives the kitten a quick scratch behind her ear, before turning to Nicole. "I should be home around midnight so I might see you later or I might not."

"I guess it all depends on how this one sleeps" Nicole replies, taking her turn in petting Calamity Jane.

"Spoken like a true new mother" Rosita jokes.

"I thought we had agreed not to refer to me as a cat mother."

"I didn't agree to anything," Rosita says with a laugh as she makes her way over the front door. "I'll see you both later, have fun!"

Rosita sends them a wave as she exits the apartment, leaving Nicole and Waverly alone. Nicole kind of feels relieved when her friend leaves, she always feels self conscious when Rosita is around. She always over thinks everything she says or does that involves Waverly, hoping that she successful in hiding the fact that she has feelings for her. Although, after that look they shared before, she isn't sure if she's the only one feeling things anymore.

* * *

 

Waverly enters Shorty's later that night. She's hoping that things aren't weird between her and Rosita after she opted to receive her kiss on her cheek rather than her lips when Rosita was leaving earlier. She isn't exactly sure why she didn't want her girlfriend to kiss her in front of Nicole.

She's never been shy of showing her affection in front of other people before but it didn't seem right to do it in front of Nicole in that instance, especially after her and Nicole kind of had a moment just before.

She has a twisting feeling in her stomach when she thinks about that. There's no doubt that there is a connection between herself and Nicole, there's no use in her trying to denying that anymore but nothing can ever happen between them. Waverly is still dating Rosita and she doesn't want to hurt her.

When it comes down to it, Rosita has been a pretty good girlfriend. She can't ruin everything between them and things between Rosita and Nicole over a possible silly crush.

"So you've managed to finally pull yourself away from the kitten then?" Rosita asks, pulling Waverly out of her thoughts.

"I can't help it that she's so cute!" Waverly replies as she heads over to the bar and takes a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Thanks for helping Nicole with the kitten. I'm glad that you and her are getting along now."

"Yeah me too. So how's your shift been?" Waverly asks, trying to turn the conversation away from her newfound friendship with Nicole.

"It's been good. It's just been the regulars up to now but I'm expecting some of the uni kids to turn up in an hour or so. Then things will start to speed up but I'll have Wynonna to help then, hopefully."

"Speaking of Wynonna, is she here?" Waverly asks.

"Yeah. She's in the back with Doc. Is everything okay?"

"Aunt Gus called me this afternoon and asked if we were still coming to dinner on Sunday so I want to check with Wynonna. Gus likes to be prepared so she wants to know as soon as possible."

"Oh, so that's where you got your planner trait from" Rosita teases. "I think they were just checking the rota for next week, so it should be safe for you to go up there. I'll have a drink waiting for you when you get back."

"Thanks Rosie," Waverly says and leans over the bar and gives her a quick kiss on the lips. She hoping that it'll partly make up for her earlier rejection and keep any suspicion Rosita might have at bay.

Waverly hops off the bar stool and heads over to stairs that lead to the rooms upstairs. Shorty uses one of the rooms as an office and the other he rents out to Doc, a friend of the Earp family who also works at the bar.

As Waverly approaches the door to Shorty's office she notices that it's partly open and she can hear hushed voices coming from inside the room. It's easy for her to recognise both Wynonna's and Doc's voices, plus it's not even the first time she's heard them arguing in this office.

"The longer you wait to tell her the more hurt she'll be," Doc says, trying to keep his voice low.

"It's my business Doc, I'll tell Waverly when I'm ready."

At the mention of her name, Waverly decides that now is the best time for her to enter the room.

"Tell me what?" she asks her sister.

Wynonna looks like a deer caught in headlights as she turns towards her sister. Doc looks slightly uncomfortable at the whole situation so Waverly isn't surprised when he makes his excuse to leave.

"Excuse me, ladies. I think I hear Rosita calling" Doc says.

Wynonna rolls her eyes at his obvious excuse as he exits the room as quickly as he can.

"So what do you have to tell me?" Waverly asks, her eyes set dead on her sister's.

"I don't think now's the best time, maybe we can talk about it tomorrow when I'm not working."

"Wynonna please, just tell me what's happening."

The fact that Wynonna seems reluctant to share whatever she has to say scares Waverly. They've always shared everything with each other, they've always been there for each other and with the way Wynonna is acting, Waverly knows something is wrong.

"A guy I know has a bar in Greece and he told me that if I ever wanted to get away from here, that he would help me out. I've been saving up some money and I finally have enough so I've decided to take him up on that offer."

"You're leaving?" Waverly asks, her voice cracking slightly.

"Yes."

"How long for?"

Wynonna doesn't answer straight away so Waverly knows she not going to like the answer.

"I'm not sure exactly."

"You promised that you would never leave me after what happened to Daddy and Willa but then you did. You ran off with the banditos and I didn't see you for two years! But then you came back and you told me that you would never leave me again" Waverly says, trying to keep calm but failing.

"I know and I'm sorry but I have to go."

"No, you don't. You have a choice. You could choose to stay here but no! You're choosing to leave just like Mama did" Waverly yells, her initial reaction of shock has now change to full blown anger.

"You don't need me anymore."

"How can you say that? Of course I need you. Apart from Aunt Gus, you're the only family I have left. You said that you'll always have my back but I guess you were just lying. Just go, I'm sure I'll be fine on my own, I've done it once before so I'm sure I can do it again."

"Waves please" Wynonna begs and it's not often Waverly hears the sound of desperation in her sister's voice but at this moment in time, she's too angry to care.

"Don't follow me!" Waverly yells as she slams the office door shut behind her. She tries to keep the tears at bay as she storms down the stairs. She heads over to the bar just as Rosita is placing a glass of whiskey on to it. Waverly doesn't waste a second in picking up the glass and downing its contents in one.

"Hey, is everything okay? I heard shouting" Rosita asks.

"Wynonna and I had a fight. Can we go somewhere?"

"Waves, I'm working. Why don't you sit down and have a drink and we can talk afterwards" Rosita suggests.

"I can't stay here. I'm so mad at her!"

"Okay, then go home and take some time to yourself and I'll come and see you after my shift is over."

"Fine, whatever. I'll see you later" Waverly says.

She heads towards the door and when she makes it she turns around and yells "Oh and charge the whiskey to Wynonna's tab!"


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you all for your support and thanks to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan) for your advice and for editing my carelessness.

Nicole smiles down at Calamity Jane as she paws at the fabric mouse that Nicole is dangling on a string in front her. It's only been a few hours but the kitten seems to have settled into her new home quite well. Nicole had finally managed to get the kitten's attention after Waverly had left. Although it did take a couple of treats to win her over.

Things were a little bit awkward after Rosita had left and Nicole was alone with Waverly. She's sure that she felt a connection with Waverly right before Rosita interrupted and Waverly must have noticed it too. That's the only reason she can think of to have made things awkward between them so quickly.

Nicole hopes that Waverly felt it too and that she's not just seeing something that isn't there. Although, there is no denying the fact that Waverly opted to let Rosita kiss her on the cheek rather than the lips right after they had their moment.

Waverly has never done anything like that before. She's kissed Rosita many times in front of her. That isn't something that Nicole can easily forget. She remembers how she had to keep her jealousy at bay every time Waverly pressed her lips against Rosita's.

As Nicole swings the fake mouse once more towards the kitten there is a knock at her door. She picks up Calamity and puts her into her new cat bed before heading to the door and opening it. On the other side, she finds a distraught Waverly, whose eyes are red and slightly puffy, with fresh tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

Nicole moves automatically, opening her arms to pull Waverly close. Waverly sinks into the hug, her arms wrapping around the lower back of Nicole, her head resting on her chest. Nicole manages to swing the door shut with one hand before bringing that arm to wrap around Waverly, whilst the other rubs up and down Waverly's back as she tries to soothe her.

They stand there for a few minutes as Nicole continues to try and calm Waverly down. After the awkwardness of this afternoon, she never expected to be in a situation with Waverly pressed so close against her just a few hours later.

"It's okay. I've got you" Nicole says, hoping that she's at least comforting the other girl. She thinks it must be working as Waverly seems to find her voice through her tears.

"Wynonna and I had a fight. I didn't know what to do or where to go so I came to see you."

"It's okay. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Waverly doesn't reply. Instead, she responds by nodding her head against Nicole's chest. The position they find themselves in feels so intimate, but Waverly is upset so Nicole can't think like that right now.

"How about I make some tea and we can sit down and you can tell me what happened?" Nicole suggests.

"Okay," Waverly says, reluctantly pulling away from Nicole and using her hands to wipe the tears from her face.

Waverly takes a seat on the couch as Nicole makes her way into the kitchen to make two cups of tea as quickly as she can, she doesn't want to leave Waverly alone for too long. Once she's done she sets the two mugs on the coffee table and takes a seat next to Waverly on the couch.

"So do you think you're ready to tell me what happened?" Nicole asks.

Waverly reaches for her mug and takes a sip of the hot liquid, savouring the taste. Nicole can tell that she's taking a few seconds to compose herself so she can explain to her what has happened.

"Wynonna told me that she is leaving. She said that she's going to Greece. Which is ridiculous because where is she going to get the money from? She told me that she has been saving and god knows, I don't want to think how she managed to make that amount of money" Waverly explains, her sadness slowly turning into slight anger.

"I got angry and probably said some things that I shouldn't have but I was trying to hide the fact that I was scared. I'm scared about losing her again. I told you that Wynonna and I had a complicated relationship."

"I remember," Nicole says. There is no way she would forget any of that day they visited the animal rescue.

"Well, Wynonna and I had another sister. Her name was Willa, she was the oldest. She and Wynonna were close in age so they were thick as thieves growing up. Then I came along. Willa didn't really embrace the idea of having a baby sister. Wynonna did but they were older and grew up, no teenager wants their kid sister hanging around them. Mom left and Dad didn't really seem interested in me and my oldest sister didn't really want me around either. I felt so lonely growing up. Wynonna tried as often as she could to make me feel better, she would come into my room at night when she would hear me crying and just hold me" Waverly says, smiling at the memory.

"My father was the Sheriff of Purgatory, one night a gang came to the house looking for revenge against him. Wynonna shoved me into the closet in my room and told me to wait and I did. I don't know how long I was in there for but Officer Nedley, a friend of my father's, eventually open the door. He wrapped me in his jacket and covered my head as he carried me outside. Wynonna was there waiting for me. Nedley put me down and Wynonna pulled me into a hug and told me that Daddy and Willa had gone to heaven."

Waverly takes a moment to breathe. She takes another sip of her tea before placing the mug back on the coffee table. Nicole can't imagine having to go through something like that as a child. Just knowing what Waverly had gone through and knowing the person she is today, makes her admire Waverly even more.

"It took me a few years to realise that Nedley had hidden my head to stop me from seeing the bodies. Wynonna saw them though. I don't know how she made it out of there alive, she still never talks about it. I know it messed with her head and that's why she always drowns her problems in whiskey."

Nicole knew that Wynonna was the wild child type but she never would have guessed that she had been through such a tragedy and that's what made her that way. She wants to let Waverly know that she's here for her but she doesn't want to interrupt her. So, she decides to take Waverly's hand and lace her fingers through her own. Waverly smiles at the action and continues her story.

"We went to live with our Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis. They tried to get Wynonna to talk to someone about it but she wouldn't listen. She would cause trouble in school and fell in with the wrong crowd. When she graduated high school, she just left. We didn't know where she went. Nedley tried to keep tabs on her and found out she was running with a gang but we couldn't do anything about it. She came back two years ago when she heard that our Uncle had died. She promised that she would stay this time and that she would try and sort her life out. I thought she was doing good, she loves working at Shorty's and now she just randomly decides that she wants to leave. She promised me she wouldn't leave again."

Nicole hands Waverly the box of tissues that was sitting on the coffee table, so she can wipe away the few new tears that were collecting in her eyes. She isn't sure how she can help Waverly in this situation but she knows one thing for sure, she was never going to let Waverly Earp feel lonely or unloved again.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that but I just want to say that your past doesn't define you. You're such an amazing, strong woman and you should be proud of yourself, proud of who you've become" Nicole tells Waverly and sends her a smile for good measure.

"People deal with things in different ways, you need to talk to Wynonna and tell her how you really feel. She loves you and she will listen to you but if this is what Wynonna needs to deal with her past then you just have to let her do it."

"What if she never comes back?" Waverly asks, unable to mask the vulnerability in her voice.

"She will. She loves you too much not to."

"Thank you, Nicole. Thank you for being here and for listening to me, it helped a lot" Waverly says, giving Nicole's hand a gentle squeeze. This is the second time that Nicole has held hands with Waverly but this time, nothing in the world is going to make her let go.

"You know I'll always be here for you. If and whenever you need me."

"I know. You called me amazing before but I'm not, you're the amazing one Nicole. You're so easy to talk to and I feel like I can tell you anything. I know you will always listen and wouldn't judge me. You're just you and that means everything."

Nicole isn't sure who leans in first, she's only fully aware of what is going on when a pair of soft lips meet hers. She knows she shouldn't be doing this, her head is screaming at her not to but her asshole of a heart has taken over and instructs her to deepen the kiss. Her hand moves on its own accord as it finds Waverly's face and cups her cheek, attempting to bring her closer even though it's impossible.

All of the pent up feelings that she has been trying to push down, over time they have been slowly bubbling up to the surface and now she can feel them erupt inside her as she pours everything into the kiss. Waverly must be feeling the same way, she can tell by the way she is kissing her back.

She's been thinking about kissing Waverly for so long, yet it feels so much better than she ever imagined. The feel of Waverly's mouth against her is intoxicating, she could live in this moment forever. However, that dream is quickly broken as Waverly pulls

away from her.

"I'm sorry. I should go" Waverly says as she gets up from the couch.

Nicole can see the tears starting to form in her eyes once again.

"Please Waverly, wait" Nicole begs.

She can hear the desperation in her own voice but she doesn't care. She just wants Waverly to stay.

"I need to go. I just... I need to go. I'm sorry."

Nicole watches as Waverly hastily makes her way to the door, her form disappearing through it a second later. The high of the moment suddenly fades, clearing her mind and allowing her to think about what's she's just done. She just kissed her best friend's girlfriend. She's pretty sure that's number one rule on the friend code: don't make out with your friend's significant other.

She wishes that Waverly would have stayed so they could have talked about it, instead of leaving her alone and confused. Nicole might not know who started the kiss but neither of them pulled away and when she deepened the kiss, Waverly kissed back just as desperately.

They would have to talk about it eventually though, because they can't just pretend it didn't happen. Especially when they spend so much time together. Nicole needs to know what Waverly was thinking during the kiss because it seemed like Waverly felt just as much as she did and she needs to know if that was true. The only positive things she can cling to is that Waverly didn't tell her it was a mistake, which is good because Nicole isn't quite sure that it was.

* * *

Waverly slams the door shut to her dorm room and throws herself down on her bed. She's glad that her roommate Chrissy was currently out and that she has the room to herself.

What has she done? She's ruined everything over one moment of weakness.

She should have known that something like this was going to happen. There had been warning signs but she tried to ignore them. Things have been slowly building ever since the first day she had met Nicole. She probably should have stayed away but she just couldn't. Not because Nicole was her girlfriend's best friend and roommate but because she'd become so emotionally attached to Nicole.

She would even show up early to dates on purpose so she could spend more time with Nicole before Rosita got home, what kind of person does that?

After her fight with Wynonna, the only person she wanted to comfort her was Nicole. It should have been Rosita but it wasn't. So, when she asked Rosita if they could go somewhere she was actually relieved when she said she couldn't because she was working. She had told Nicole that she didn't know where to go but that was a lie, she wanted to go to Nicole. She wanted to be comforted by Nicole. There's no way she can deny that.

Nicole who was so sweet and so caring, who always knew the right thing to say to make her feel better.

There's a knock on the door which makes her heart beat faster in her chest. What if it was Nicole and she wanted to talk about the kiss? She probably shouldn't have run away from the situation but she was ashamed of what she had done. She isn't sure if she can face Nicole again just yet. The knocking

gets louder and she lets out a sigh of relief when she hears her sister's voice coming from the other side.

"Waves, open up. Please."

Waverly opens the door and when she sees Wynonna standing there she immediately pulls her into a hug. She wasn't angry with her sister anymore, her talk with Nicole actually helped a lot. It was just after they stopped talking that was the problem.

"I'm sorry for the things I said. I was mad at you for wanting to leave but I guess I can't blame you. Please forgive me" Waverly says, practically crushing Wynonna as she still hugged her.

"There's nothing to forgive baby girl. I understand why you reacted that way. I promised that I wouldn't leave again and I won't. I can call Johnny and tell him I'm not coming" Wynonna says as Waverly finally releases her and they make their way inside the room, closing the door behind them.

"Please don't do that. If going to Greece is something you want to do then you should do it" Waverly says as she sits on her bed and gestures for Wynonna to do the same.

"I just need to get out of this place for a bit. I thought getting out of Purgatory would help but I still feel the ghosts from the past here. I just thought going to a new place, would give me time to heal properly" Wynonna explains.

This admission makes Waverly feel slightly ashamed. She shouldn't have gotten angry with Wynonna earlier. She should have stayed and listened to her sister's reasoning for wanting to leave. She can't blame Wynonna for wanting to get away after everything that had happened in that town. There are still too many demons for her in Purgatory.

Wynonna didn't get the opportunity to move out of Purgatory like Waverly did. A scholarship to Smith University had given Waverly the chance to move to Elysium and away from their hometown. Even if it was only a few miles away, the city life of Elysium felt a million miles away from the small town ways of Purgatory.

Aunt Gus had given Wynonna a place to stay but over time she had been trying to get away from Purgatory. She got a job in Elysium at Shorty's and drove the half an hour drive every day. That is until she decided to just spend most nights crashing with Doc in his apartment above the bar.

If Waverly had just been rational about it in the first place she might have figured out that this trip was a positive thing for Wynonna but she had let her own insecurities of being left alone take over.

"I'm sorry I left without letting you explain. If going to Greece is what you need, then you should do it. I only want the best for you."

"That's all I want for you too and trust me I will come back, I promise. At least you have Gus and your friends. You have Rosita now too. Who, if I have to admit, isn't so bad."

The mention of Rosita's name makes Waverly's insides squirm, maybe talking about it with Wynonna will help.

"I need to tell you something because it's starting to eat me up inside" Waverly admits.

"You can tell me anything babygirl."

"After our argument, I went to see Nicole."

"Who?"

"Nicole. Rosita's best friend. She's a tall redhead" Waverly says with slight frustration. She was nervous enough as it is about her pending admission. She was worried if she didn't say it soon, the words would never come out.

"Oh yeah. Big Red. Carry on."

"So I was upset and I went to see her. She comforted me and we kissed. I kissed Rosita's best friend. I'm such a bad person" Waverly says, the words quickly tumbling out of her mouth as the tears start to form in her eyes.

"Hey, it was just a kiss. Sometimes we make mistakes when we're emotional."

"That's the thing, it wasn't just a kiss. I think I have feelings for her. I think I've known for a while now but I tried to ignore them. I think maybe she might feel the same way."

"Okay, so that's a bit more complicated. Have you tried talking to either of them?" Wynonna asks.

"How am I supposed to tell my girlfriend that I have feelings for her best friend?"

"Yeah, that's a tricky one. Well, what about Rosita? How do you feel about her?"

"She's a nice person and I like her but I'm not sure that she's the one" Waverly admits and it feels like a weight is lifted now that she has openly admitted the way she really feels.

"What about Nicole, is she the one?"

"I think she could be. I've never felt like this about anyone before."

"So you just need a way to gently break up with Rosita and get with Red," Wynonna says as if it's the simplest thing in the world.

"It's not that easy. They have been best friends for years and I don't want to come between them. I'm not even sure if I would, they both might not want anything to do with me after this."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I'm not sure yet, I just need some time to think," Waverly says.

"That's fine, take all the time you need babygirl. In the meantime why don't we fire up your laptop, so we can watch a movie and eat some junk food? I know Chrissy must have a stash somewhere."

Wynonna gets off the bed and makes her way over to Chrissy's side of the room. She starts to search the drawers under her bed before moving onto the desk drawers.

"Result! Twizzlers for you and Reese's pieces for me" Wynonna says, tossing the red packet of candy at Waverly.

Wynonna closes the drawer she had just been searching before moving over to Waverly's desk and grabbing her laptop.

"Move up Waves," Wynonna says.

Waverly shuffles up the bed to make room for her sister. She grabs a couple of pillows to put behind them as they sit with their back against the wall with their legs dangling over the side of the bed. Wynonna selects a movie on Netflix for them to watch and Waverly rests her head against her sister's shoulder. She still has a lot to think about, her sister is leaving and her love life is a mess but for now at she has her sister with her and that's all she needs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to [SuperstitiousPigeons](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperstitiousPigeons/pseuds/SuperstitiousPigeons) for whatever spell you cast. It looks like it worked!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your continued support. I keep struggling with a bit of writers block so apologise for how long it's taking me to post chapters. As always thanks to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan)

Nicole hasn't seen Waverly since they kissed two days ago. It wasn't for the lack of trying on her part though, as she had texted Waverly a few times since. However, with both of their classes and their jobs, it has been difficult to find time to meet. She isn't sure if Waverly has been actively avoiding her and she hopes that isn't the case. There was no way they could avoid each other tonight though, as it was the night of Eliza's party.

Nicole had wanted to talk to Waverly before the party. She isn't sure how they're going to act around each other after they kissed. So she didn't want their first time to see each other again to be with Rosita around in case they acted weird or awkward.

There's nothing she can do about that now though, so she's just going to have to deal with it. She's been around Rosita for weeks hiding her feelings for Waverly, so she should be able to hide the fact that she kissed her, right?

She doesn't have much of a choice as she enters Eliza's apartment and finds it filled with people. There are a couple of people that she knows and she easily picks out Dolls and Eliza standing across the room. She's glad that they had managed to remain friends after their break up, sometimes people just aren't the right fit for each other. Eventually, they figure it out and that's exactly what happened with Eliza and Dolls.

"Hey Eliza. Dolls" Nicole greets as she approaches the ex-couple.

"Thanks for coming, Nicole. I should probably do a sweep of the house to make sure that nothing has been destroyed but we can catch up later?"

"Sure and thanks for the invite."

"You're welcome. Besides, I need someone to keep this party animal in check" Eliza jokes as she gestures towards Dolls with her head.

Nicole joins in with Eliza's laughing. The fact that Dolls' face remains expressionless makes her laugh even more. Once they both compose themselves, Eliza says her goodbyes.

"Everything okay with you?" Dolls asks now that they're alone.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I'm just checking in on you, that's all."

Nicole knows that Dolls would never judge her and that he's always been there if she needs him, so maybe it's time she came clean to him about what's been going on so she can finally express what's going on in her head.

"I did something stupid, like really fucking stupid. I kissed Waverly."

"When?"

"A couple of days ago but Rosita doesn't know."

"What are you going to do about it?" Dolls asks.

"I don't know yet. You don't seem surprised by this?"

"I'm surprised you kissed her but I knew you had feelings for her. I could tell when I saw the two of you together but don't worry, I don't think anyone else picked up on it" he reassures her.

"I messed up so bad."

"Why? Because you fell in love with her?"

"Was that obvious too?" Nicole asks.

"I've seen you in love before, so I know what it looks like."

"What am I going to do?"

"Unfortunately I don't have an answer for you. I am here If you need me though."

"Thanks, Dolls. I appreciate it. I think I'm going to get a drink. Do you want one?"

"I'm good, thanks," Dolls says raising the beer bottle in his hand to emphasise his point.

As Nicole walks towards the kitchen she's stopped by someone calling her name. As she turns around, she's taken by surprise at who the person is. She thought that seeing Waverly tonight was going to be hard enough, she didn't expect to have to deal with Shae too.

"Shae, what are you doing here?"

"I was visiting my parents. It's my dad's birthday tomorrow but I heard about the party and I thought I'd drop by. It's nice to see Eliza again" Shae explains.

Nicole knows that Shae and Eliza were barely on friendly terms. They were kind of forced together due to the fact Dolls was dating Eliza and Shae was with Nicole. They had been on a few double dates and hung out a couple of times but that was it. Nicole has a feeling that Shae's presence here was more related to her, than her interest in seeing Eliza.

"So I got the internship! I found out last week but since I was coming here I was hoping that we could meet up and I could tell you face to face."

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you. It looks like I'll be apartment hunting over the summer then."

"So it's official, you're moving back?" Nicole asks.

"Yes. I'm excited to start this new chapter of my life. So in light of that, I need to ask. Do you think we have a chance of picking up where we left off?"

Shae was never one to beat around the bush, she always got straight to the point. Nicole wasn't expecting to be having this conversation tonight but there's no time like the present and at least it would sort out one part of her complicated love life.

"I don't want to lead you on so I want to be a hundred percent honest with you. I have loved reconnecting with you but I don't think we're in that place anymore. I think it's better if we just stay friends."

"I understand Nicky and maybe it is for the best. We had our time together and I guess our relationship ran its course. I'm glad we talked and cleared the air. I can move back with a fresh start now I know where we stand."

That was another thing about Shae, she was nothing but resilient.

"Thanks for understanding Shae."

"I should actually get going. I promised my parents that I wouldn't be out too long considering I don't get to see them often. At least I'll be closer to them next year. So do we hug?" Shae asks.

"I'm assuming friends still hug" Nicole jokes as she opens her arms and gives Shae a quick hug. "It was nice to see you again and say happy birthday to your dad for me," Nicole says as she pulls away from her ex-girlfriend.

"I will. Bye Nicky."

Nicole watches her leave with a smile on her face. She's glad that she had cleared the air with Shae and they both knew where they stood regarding their relationship. Now all she has to do is find Waverly so they can do the same.

* * *

Waverly fills her red cup with whatever alcohol she can find. It doesn't matter what it tastes like as long as it numbs the thoughts in her head. She wasn't sure what it would be like to see Nicole again after their kiss. She was worried that it would be awkward or that they would try and avoid each other but she can't help feeling drawn to Nicole, like a moth to a flame.

The liquid burns her throat as she downs the cup in one go. It's her fourth drink of the night and she feels ready to approach Nicole and finally talk about what happened between them. She searches the living room for that familiar red hair from her spot in the kitchen and she quickly finds it at the back of the room. However, the redhead isn't alone; she's talking to another girl.

Waverly had seen pictures so she instantly recognises that it's Shae. Why is Nicole's ex-girlfriend here? Didn't she live in Calgary now? Nicole did say that she was thinking about moving back. Had she moved back? There were too many questions flying around her head. She was supposed to be drowning out thoughts about Nicole, not adding to them.

Okay, so maybe she needs another dose of dutch courage. She reaches for the bottle of alcohol and pours herself a generous amount of the amber liquid. Wynonna would be proud of the way she is letting loose. She wishes her sister was here with her but she had a shift at Shorty's. Waverly didn't really know anyone at this party, most of the people here were older than her so she hadn't crossed path with them at Smith.

Rosita did know a lot of the people here so she had left Waverly alone for the past ten minutes in order to mingle. Waverly didn't mind, she felt weird being around Rosita knowing what she had done. The guilt was starting to slowly eat at her so she was very happy for some space away from her girlfriend, especially in her spot by the alcohol. As if on cue Rosita enters the kitchen and stands next to Waverly.

"Sorry I was so long. We should have invited Jeremy and Robin to keep you company" she says.

"They're having a date night so they wouldn't have been able to make it."

"At least Nicole and Dolls are around here somewhere so there are some people you know."

"Nicole is over there with Shae," Waverly says, gesturing to the living room where Nicole and Shae were talking.

Shae's name tastes bitter on her tongue. The only way to get rid of it is to wash it away with more alcohol.

"I wonder what they are talking about?" Rosita muses.

Waverly isn't listening to whatever Rosita is saying, she tuned out the moment she saw Nicole and Shae hugging. Her main focus now is filling her cup with more alcohol. Luckily she left the bottle of whiskey she drank from earlier, close to hand. She didn't replace the bottle cap after the last time either, so it's easy for her to pour herself another significant amount to drink.

"You're getting a little carried away, aren't you? You downed two drinks in the first five minutes we were here. Is everything okay? Is this about Wynonna?" Rosita asks as she watches Waverly take a large sip from the cup.

"I'm fine. Wynonna and I are fine. I just want to relax and have a few drinks."

"I get that but at this rate, you'll be more than relaxed. You'll be out cold."

"I'm an Earp. We know how to hold our liquor" Waverly responds bitterly.

"Please just slow down, we've still got the rest of the night to enjoy. I'm going to go and find Nicole. I want to make sure that she's alright after her talk with Shae."

Waverly had been so preoccupied getting another drink she hadn't noticed that Nicole and Shae had both disappeared from where they were talking. She doesn't want to think about where they have gone or if they have gone together. She has to resist having another sip of her drink whilst Rosita is standing there.

"Okay well, I'll be here if you need me," Waverly says.

Rosita kisses Waverly on the side of her head before disappearing out of the kitchen and into the crowd of people in the living room. At least that gives Waverly more time before she has to face Nicole. Plus, at least Rosita isn't here to monitor her drinking anymore either.

* * *

Nicole felt good after her conversation with Shae. However, her good mood soon turned sour as she notices Waverly and Rosita in the kitchen having a conversation. She thinks it's best that she avoids that area for now, maybe some fresh air might help instead. She heads over to the window towards the back of the apartment and climbs through to the fire escape. Unfortunately, it wasn't empty like she was hoping it would be and instead there's a guy sat on the stairs, smoking.

"Do you mind?" she asks guesting towards the packet of cigarettes sitting next to him.

"Not at all. Sharing is caring after all. Besides, I stole them from my roommates so they're not actually mine" he replies.

The guy holds out the packet so Nicole can take a cigarette. She does and it feels foreign between her fingers. She takes the lighter being offered and lights the cigarette. Once it's lit, she takes a huge drag, letting the smoke fill her lungs. So much for coming out for some fresh air.

She hasn't smoked in years. She used to do it behind the local church whilst waiting for Rosita to leave with her family. She always watched the families leaving the church with a mixture of sadness and jealousy. She was not so much into the religion but she wished that her family was as close as they were. She barely saw her parents on the weekends never mind getting together once a week to spend time as a family.

Nicole was so lost in thought she never noticed the guy leave, however she does notice her best friends arrival.

"It's been a while since I've seen you smoke," Rosita says, leaning against the fire escape railings.

"Yeah well, I'm stressed."

"Well, find another stress reliever because these things are disgusting," Rosita says as she pulls the cigarette out of Nicole's fingers and puts it out. "So is this about Shae? I saw you two talking earlier."

"Let's just say it's an accumulation of things. The talk with Shae went pretty well actually. She's moving back but we agreed to just stay as friends" Nicole explains.

"That's good. At least now that the two of you have cleared the air, you can't finally start looking for someone."

"I don't need to look for someone. I'm not interested in dating yet, we only have a few months left of the school year and I need to concentrate on passing my exams."

"I can understand that. Waverly and I haven't been spending much time together recently. It's hard when we both have classes and jobs but we try and make it work, you know?."

Nicole doesn't have a reply for that. What is she supposed to say? 'Oh, I'm sorry that you haven't seen much of your girlfriend recently. Speaking of Waverly I kissed her the other day and if that wasn't bad enough, I think I'm in love with her too'. No, that's not the best answer.

"I think she's still upset because of Wynonna leaving. I didn't really get the chance to talk to her about it properly. I was supposed to meet her the night they fought after my shift was over but, she texted me saying that Wynonna was there and that they had made up so she didn't need me to come over anymore."

"I'm sure she would tell you if she's not okay."

"I guess you're right."

"I'm going to head back in there and get a drink. You coming?" Nicole asks, she still hasn't had the chance to get a drink yet and since Rosita stole her cigarette, she could really use one.

"Lead the way."

Nicole climbs through the window and back into Eliza's living room. She hadn't realised how peaceful it had been out on the fire escape until the music hit her ears. She starts to walk through the crowd to get to the kitchen but before she can do it, Rosita tugs on her arm.

"Levi and Fish are over there. I'm going to say hi. I'll find you later on" Rosita says.

"Okay see you later."

Nicole scans the crowd and notices a slightly stumbling Waverly heading to the bathroom. Deciding that this could be their chance to talk, she follows her.

* * *

Waverly does not feel good. Maybe Rosita was right and she should have slowed down with the number of drinks she had. As it was, she had made her way into the bathroom just in case she had to throw up. It had been a long time since she had drunk this much alcohol, the last time being after her Uncle Curtis' funeral and she and Wynonna had shared a bottle of whiskey in her bedroom.

Waverly slides down the side of the bath and pulls her knees up to her chest. She leans her elbows on her knees and rests her head in her hands. The bathroom door opens and another person enters the room.

"Hey" they greet.

She doesn't even need to look up to know who it is. Nicole sits across the other side of the room with her back leaning against the wall so she's facing Waverly.

The bathroom isn't very big so they're only a few feet away from each other.

"Are you okay?" Nicole asks.

"I'm fine," Waverly says, the words coming out slurred.

"How much have you had to drink? It's not like you to drink this much. I don't think I've ever heard you not enunciate properly" Nicole jokes.

Waverly doesn't respond to Nicole's joke, barely even making eye contact with her.

"Is this about Wynonna?"

"No. Wynonna and I are fine. After you and I talked, I realised that Wynonna needs this trip. I can't hold her back as much as I don't want to let her go" Waverly explains as she finally raises her head to look at Nicole.

"I'm glad that you two worked things out."

"Me too," Waverly says.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, Waverly knows that one of them will have to say something eventually if they want to try and clean up the mess they have gotten themselves into. Although she isn't sure if she's got a clear enough mind to have this conversation with all the alcohol she consumed. Why did she think drinking so much would make any of this easier?

"It's you", Waverly eventually says.

"What's me?"

"The reason I'm drinking."

"You're getting drunk because of me?" Nicole asks.

She knows how redundant she sounds but she's struggling to process what Waverly is saying.

"Yes. To forget about you, to forget about the kiss."

"Is that what you want? You want to forget what happened between us?" Nicole asks, but she isn't sure she's ready to hear the answer.

"Does it matter what I want? We both know it shouldn't have happened, even if we wanted it to."

"You're right, it shouldn't have happened the way it did and I regret that. Honestly, though, I don't regret kissing you. There's just something about you Waverly Earp."

"There's something about you too, Nicole Haught. I wish that I had met you before I met Rosita, maybe then things could be different."

"Actually. I kind of saw you first, around a year ago before you met Rosita" Nicole says with a smile.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I used to see you at the library. I thought about introducing myself a couple of times but you were always busy or you disappeared somewhere. I think about it all the time. How if I had just introduced myself then maybe we could have had a chance."

"So there isn't a chance for us in the future? I don't want to lead Rosita on, so I know that I have to break up with her. But what happens after?" Waverly asks.

"No, there isn't a chance for us. I can't do that to her."

"Why? I don't want to come in between the two of you either, but shouldn't we give this a chance?" Waverly questions, motioning her hand between the two of them to emphasis that when she says 'this', she means the two of them.

"I can't date my best friend's ex; it's rule number one of the friend code."

"The friend code is bullshit. What if those two people are meant to be together?"

"I just can't do that to her. I can't lose her okay? She's the only one that's been there for me and I can't risk losing that" Nicole stresses.

Waverly knows a losing battle when she sees one. Being the youngest of three sisters had helped her realise that: she could never convince either of her sisters to change their minds and it especially sucked when they always outvoted her two to one.

"Okay. So whatever happens, we're friends" Waverly says.

"Friends" Nicole agrees.

They sit there in silence for a couple of minutes, neither of them not knowing what to say next. Nicole finds it strange that even after everything, the silence that has settle between them doesn't feel awkward.

"So do we tell Rosita that we kissed?" Waverly asks, breaking the silence.

"Probably, I don't know. I don't want to keep it from her but I also don't want to destroy our friendship. I mean kissing your best friend's girlfriend is a pretty shitty thing to do."

"I hope that it doesn't ruin your friendship," Waverly says and she truly means that.

"I hope so too."

"So do you want to get a drink?" Waverly asks, trying to put their recent conversation behind them.

"I think you've had enough for now and I think it's better if I just head home and hang out with CJ. Do you want me to take you home?"

"No, it's okay. I think I might stay for a while. I'll stay away from the alcohol I promise."

"Okay. I'm glad we talked and that we can stay friends after everything that happened" Nicole says.

"Hopefully whatever happens in the future, we can stay friends too. Goodnight Nicole."

"Goodnight Waverly."

* * *

The next morning Nicole wakes up feeling slightly better about things. She felt better after talking to Shae and now they were in a good place. Plus, despite agreeing to only ever being friends, even if it wasn't what either of them really wanted, she feels like she's in a good place with Waverly too.

Nicole climbs out of bed and bends down to give Calamity's head a scratch, the kitten currently sleeping in her bed located in the corner of Nicole's bedroom.

"Are you hungry girl?" she asks.

Calamity purrs in response so Nicole takes that as a yes. Nicole leaves her bedroom with Calamity Jane following behind her, trying to keep up as fast as her little legs can take her. However, before they can reach the kitchen, Rosita enters through the front door.

"Hey," Nicole greets. "You're up early or have you just come in?"

"Yeah, I just got home" Rosita replies.

"Did you stay over at Waverly's?"

Nicole isn't really sure that she wants to know the answer. Yes, she and Waverly had talked last night about only ever being friends but that doesn't mean her feelings for the other girl have just vanished overnight. However, she definitely wasn't expecting the answer Rosita gives her.

"I wasn't at Waverly's. I spent the night with another girl."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to join twitter, you can find me @anger_and_hope. I probably won't use it much, I might use it to ask for advice or questions but it's mainly if people want to privately message me, since you can't do that on here. I hope to write more things after this has finished so I might use it more then.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! I decided to add a bit extra to this chapter and I wanted to make sure I knew where I was going in the next chapter before I posted this one. Thanks for your support and to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan) for your help.

Nicole isn't sure how to process what Rosita has just said. She's spent the night with another girl? She probably shouldn't jump to automatic conclusions and assume that her best friend has cheated on her girlfriend, but what else is she supposed to think?

"What do you mean you spent the night with another girl?" Nicole asks for clarification.

"After the party, I went back to another girl's apartment and we slept together."

"You cheated on Waverly?" Nicole asks and there's no point in trying to hide the disbelief in her voice because that's exactly what she's feeling.

That's all she can feel because to her it's hard to understand how anyone can have a girl like Waverly and then decide to do something as stupid as to cheat on her. How can you hurt someone as sweet as Waverly? It makes no sense.

"Waverly had too much to drink so Wynonna came and took her home. I got talking to this girl, I offered to walk her home and one thing led to another and we ended up back at her place."

"How could you do that to her?"

"I was drunk."

"That's not an excuse"

Nicole stands by her words but she also knows how alcohol can impair your judgement. Just like emotions can, like when she kissed Waverly. She's angry at what Rosita has done but she isn't sure if that makes her a hypocrite. She kissed Waverly when she was in a relationship and that makes her an accomplice to cheating. However, at least what happened with her and Waverly as was just a kiss.

And still, who was she kidding? It wasn't just a kiss, it was an emotionally fuelled kiss. It probably wouldn't have been that bad if it was just a quick in the moment kiss, with nothing behind it. But they both know that it wasn't. There had been feelings behind it, feelings that had been slowly building up between them and came to a head in that moment.

Nicole realised that she had feelings for Waverly weeks ago and promised never to act on it. Yes, she broke that promise but she did try and stay clear of Waverly before the kiss. Then after it happened they both agreed that nothing could ever happen between them. On the other hand, Rosita has been dating Waverly for nearly four months and then decides to sleep with another girl. How could she do that?

"I know that I messed up but things have been rocky between Waverly and I for a while. We haven't been out on a date for weeks, we only see each other at

Shorty's. We haven't had sex in like a month. I notice that we were drifting apart, the last week especially. It's like she's been avoiding me. I know that isn't an excuse either for what I did but it was a one-time thing. I don't have feelings for that other girl, I barely even know her. I know it was a stupid thing that I did but if anything, it made me sure that I want to be with Waverly. I don't want to lose her" Rosita explains.

"You might lose her anyway, once she knows that you cheated. You are telling her, right?"

"It'll only hurt her, so what's the point in telling her? You're the only other person that knows. So please, you can't tell her. I know that you two are close now but she can't know."

"This doesn't feel right. You should tell her."

"This is my relationship so that makes it my choice. She doesn't need to know. Look, I don't want to argue. I told you because you're my best friend and we've always been honest with each other. We always share everything and you always have my back. So please have my back on this one too" Rosita begs.

"Fine" Nicole replies but it's anything but fine.

She isn't sure why she agrees, possibly out of guilt. The things Rosita said really got to her. They have always been honest with each other and have always had each other's back. Then Nicole kissed Waverly. This could be the ideal time to come clean.

"I'm tired so I'm going to bed," Rosita says, ending the conversation and Nicole's chance to confess.

Nicole sits on the couch once Rosita is in her room. She doesn't know how to start processing every thought that's currently pin-balling around in her mind. Rosita has cheated on Waverly. She doesn't want Waverly to know. Rosita still wants to be with Waverly but Waverly said last night that she wants to break things off with Rosita.

Then she adds herself into the mix. She's in love with Waverly. Waverly wanted to be with her but Nicole said they could only ever be just friends, which is complete and utter bullshit. Nicole wants nothing more than to be more than friends with Waverly. However, she didn't want to hurt Rosita by pursuing a relationship with Waverly after they broke up, something that is truly ridiculous since she's already kissed Waverly behind her back anyway.

She's been lying to her best friends for weeks and it's slowly been killing her and now she has to lie to Waverly too. There is no way this situation can end well, she can't see a way how any of them can come out of it without being hurt in some way.

* * *

Nicole must be a glutton for punishment because just an hour or so after finding out that her best friend had cheated on the girl she's in love with, she found herself knocking on said girl's door.

Waverly was happy to see her which was a relief. Yes, they had talked last night about only being friends but it'd probably be a while before the romantic feelings they share disappeared. If they do at all. Nicole has her doubts about that. She's not sure if she can ever fall out of love with Waverly, since she fell so deeply in the first place.

Nicole had interrupted Waverly's study session, not that Waverly had minded or at least she said she didn't mind. Nicole didn't usually like turning up to people's home unannounced but when she had left her own apartment earlier she hadn't really planned on where she was going. The next thing she knows, she was walking past the building that housed Waverly's dorm.

"So did you want to do something specific or do you just want to hang out?" Waverly asks from her position in front of the mirror on the wall, where she was pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"I don't really mind," Nicole says with apparently not enough enthusiasm if Waverly's face, staring at her through the mirror, was anything to go by.

"Look," Waverly says, turning around so she can face Nicole. "I don't want things to get weird between us after what we talked about yesterday. We need to just carry on as normal."

"I agree."

"So we can go and see a movie or something? I'm supposed to be meeting Rosita later on though, so we need to be out by four."

Just hearing Rosita's name makes Nicole's stomach lurch. She can feel the guilt slowly eating her up inside. She's been no stranger to this feeling for the past couple of months. It's been there since she started falling for Waverly and it almost consumed her after they had kissed. She's not sure how much more she can take, she's worried that all the pressure she feels will blow like a gasket and all of the secrets and feelings she had been holding in will spill out.

Since she stepped through Waverly's door, the thought of telling Waverly the truth about Rosita has been going back and forth in her mind like a ball in a fierce game of tennis. Should she tell her? Yes. No. Yes. No.

Would this whole thing be a problem if Waverly is breaking up with Rosita anyway? Rosita obviously doesn't want to break things off, but by the sounds of things last night Waverly sure did. Where would that leave her and Waverly if they did break up? She had told her that they could only be friends but would it be weird if she was still friends with her best friend's ex?

It might work out okay if Rosita and Waverly still stayed friends too but would that happen if Waverly found out that Rosita had cheated on her? Would Waverly still want to be friends with her if she knew that Nicole had known Rosita had cheated but never told Waverly? This wasn't something she had considered before. She had too many questions and she needed some answers.

"When are you going to break up with Rosita?" Nicole ask. She cringes internally at how blunt she sounds but she really wants to know.

"I've been thinking about that. I think that maybe I should try and work things out with Rosita. We've both been busy lately and I've been distracted by my feelings for you but now I know that won't happen. I think that if we worked hard and communicate, then we could have a good relationship."

This was the opposite of what she expected Waverly to say. Last night she was set on breaking up with Rosita and now she wants to try and salvage their relationship? What could have changed in the hours in between? Well, other than the fact that Nicole had told Waverly that they can only ever be friends.

"Do you love her?" Nicole asks.

"Not yet but maybe I can get there."

Do you love me? Is the next question Nicole wants to ask but it wouldn't be fair to do that to Waverly. She isn't sure she would want to know the answer anyway.

"Are you going to tell her about the kiss?" she asks instead.

"I probably will. I need to if we want to have an open and honest relationship. Hopefully, she'll forgive me and we can move on."

"Would you forgive her if she did the same?" Nicole asks and she knows that she's teetering on dangerous territory.

"I guess it depends on the situation. I know what we did was wrong but I was confused about what I was feeling for you and then when Wynonna said she was leaving, I just got overwhelmed. You were there to comfort me and my emotions took over and we kissed. That's all, and now that you've made it abundantly clear that my feelings are unwanted, there are no issues between us."

Nicole's heart drops at the word unwanted. It reminds her of the promise that she made on the night of their kiss to never make Waverly feel lonely or unloved but that's exactly what she's done. Which is ridiculous considering all she wants is to do is to love Waverly. She just wishes that she could tell her that.

"Are you sure that this is what you want?" Nicole asks.

If she can't be with Waverly then all she wants is for Waverly to be happy. If that's with Rosita then so be it but Nicole isn't sure that is what Waverly wants.

"Why are you trying to make me doubt myself?"

"I'm not."

"I know I made a mistake and I will ask for forgiveness. I know I've probably hurt her and I probably don't deserve a second chance because I broke her trust and that was a shitty thing to do but Rosita has been nothing but good to me."

The tennis match in Nicole's head kick starts again as Waverly starts explaining how much of a good girlfriend Rosita is. The idea of telling Waverly the truth is volleying back and forth in her mind, picking up speed as Waverly starts to blame herself for ruining her relationship with Rosita and how much of a bad person she is.

"She cheated on you" Nicole blurts out.

Game, set, and match.

"What?"

"Rosita cheated on you" Nicole repeats.

"Are you serious? When?"

"Last night after the party. She met some girl and took her home after. I'm sorry" Nicole says, and she really was sorry. She was sorry for a lot of things in fact.

"After Eliza's party? Are you sure about that? Because I went home with Rosita last night. Chrissy stayed over at her boyfriend's dorm, so Rosita stayed here and slept in her bed."

Nicole was confused, why would Rosita tell her that she spent the night with another girl if she had been with Waverly all along?

"Are you sure it was Rosita and not Wynonna? You did drink a lot that night" Nicole asks.

"I think I know the difference between my sister and my girlfriend" Waverly snaps.

Okay so maybe pointing out the fact that Waverly had been drunk and possibly confused was probably not the best thing to say after accusing her girlfriend of cheating on her. But she just couldn't understand why would Rosita say she had if she hadn't? Nicole was struggling to get her head around the situation.

"She told me that she slept with someone else" Nicole explains.

"Why are you doing this?" Waverly asks. "Is it because I said that I was going to try again with Rosita? Are you jealous?"

"What? I'm not jealous" Nicole replies, unsure of why she's suddenly become the enemy. What happened to don't shoot the messenger?

"Good, because you shouldn't be because you did this Nicole. I wanted to be with you but you and your bullshit ideas stopped that from happening. I think you should leave."

"Waverly, please!"

"Just go. You were supposed to be the one person I could count on but now I'm not so sure. I just want to be alone. Please" Waverly says and Nicole can hear Waverly's voice breaking, mirroring her own heart breaking in her chest.

Nicole wants to stay and explain but she also doesn't want to cause Waverly any more pain, so she leaves.

* * *

As Nicole walks back towards her apartment she can feel the anger rising within her. She's angry at Rosita for whatever game she is playing and she's angry at herself. She's angry at herself for getting in to deep with Waverly and then for acting on it. She's angry that she's hurt Waverly and she's even angry that her moral compass has prevented her from going after the thing she wants most: Waverly.

She's always done the right thing but maybe this time the right thing was in fact the wrong one. Maybe, she should have been selfish and told Waverly that they could be together but was that worth the risk of losing her friendship with Rosita?

Just the thought of Rosita's name makes the anger inside her chest growl. What the hell was she up to? She manages to soothe the anger within as she makes her way into the apartment. However, when she enters and finds Rosita sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar reading a magazine, the anger releases itself.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Nicole yells.

"What are you talking about?" Rosita asks, not taking her eyes away from the magazine.

"You lied about cheating on Waverly."

"How did you know that I lied?" Rosita asks this time her eyes do leave the magazine, her gaze fixing firmly on Nicole.

"Because Waverly told me" Nicole replies, the words falling out of her mouth before she can stop them.

"You talked to Waverly? I asked you not to tell Waverly."

"I'm sorry, I kind of blurted it out" Nicole admits.

"You're supposed to have my back, Nicole."

"I know and I'm sorry but I couldn't lie to her. It felt wrong for her not to know."

"You didn't want to lie to her?" Rosita asks, shaking her head and laughing in disbelief, "but it's okay to lie to me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You kissed Waverly."

"What?" Nicole asks, unable to believe how the situation had turned around so fast. She was supposed to be confronting Rosita, not the other way around.

"You kissed my girlfriend behind my back."

"How did you find out about that?"

"I heard the two of you talking in Eliza's bathroom. I came to find Waverly and it turns out I found more than I bargained for. So Waverly was the girl from the library, huh? And what? Did you start planning to swoop in from the moment I introduced the two of you?"

"No. That's not what happened" Nicole says adamantly.

"The two of you sure spent a lot of time together. How many times did you kiss her?"

"It only happened once. It was a spontaneous thing, I swear. I didn't mean for it to happen. She was upset and I comforted her and it just happened."

"Things never just happen" Rosita scoffs.

"Okay then, what about you? What was the point in telling me that you cheated on Waverly?"

"You have been hiding things from me and you've already betrayed me once. I wanted to see if you would do it again. I wanted to see where your loyalty truly was and to see if you would keep my secret. How long did it take you to go running to Waverly? A few hours?"

Nicole wanted to refute that but she couldn't. Rosita was right. Subconsciously or not, a few hours later she had found herself at Waverly's door.

"I didn't go there with the idea of telling her, I promise. She was talking about how she wanted to work things out with you and it slipped out."

"So you thought if you told her, that she wouldn't want to be with me anymore? That we would break up and you could be her knight in shining armour? Swoop in, be the hero and get the girl? Typical Nicole."

"You're wrong. I told Waverly we could only ever be friends. I wouldn't do that to you."

"But you lied to me. You could have told me that you had the hots for my girlfriend. We've never hidden things like that from each other before. I mean I always told you how hot Shae was."

"This was different."

"How? How is this any different?" Rosita demands.

"I fell in love with her, okay? I'm in love with Waverly."

"Jesus, I can't believe you. Although I shouldn't be surprised, you've always been one to fall in love quickly. That didn't really work out with Shae though, did it? Now you're in love with a girl you're not even dating. Can you be any more pathetic?"

"I tried to stay away from Waverly and I tried to hide my feelings for her out of respect for you. Yes, I messed up when I kissed her but we would have told you eventually. It only happened a few days ago and we only talked about what happened last night. I'm sorry for what I did but you could have just told me that you knew, you didn't have to test my loyalty or whatever fucked up plan you had going on."

"You know what? I can't deal with this right now. I'm going to stay with Doc above Shorty's" Rosita says, getting off the bar stool.

Rosita bends down and picks up the duffel bag by the stool that Nicole hadn't even noticed that was there. Rosita must have planned for this to happen. Nicole's best friend knew her too well. She had known that she would go and tell Waverly, she even had a packed bag ready and waiting for when Nicole returned. The anger that once consumed her has turned into disappointment.

"When are you coming back?" Nicole asks as Rosita heads towards the front door.

"When I'm ready to forgive you. If of course that happens."

The door barely closes by the time Nicole rushes over to the couch and sinks down into it. How did everything go so wrong so quickly? She had been stuck in the middle of Rosita and Waverly for so long but now, she has neither of them.

A small meow catches her attention as Calamity Jane tries her best to climb up Nicole's leg. Nicole bends down, scoops up the kitten and places her on her chest. Calamity curls up on the spot above Nicole's heart, as if she's trying to keep it safe.

Unfortunately the kitten is too late, Nicole's heart has already been shattered into pieces.

* * *

Rosita uses the walk over to Shorty's to try and process everything that has happened in the past few hours. She can admit that maybe she went too far with Nicole but she never thought that her best friend would betray her trust like that. They have always told each other everything, they never had secrets. Nicole had betrayed her and lied to her and she wanted to know if she would do it again. Yes, it was petty but her anger had clouded her judgement at the time.

When Rosita arrives at Shorty's, she's surprised to find Waverly sitting at the bar. She wasn't expecting to see her so soon but after her fight with Nicole, she might as well get her talk with Waverly over too.

"Can we talk upstairs?" she asks.

"Sure" Waverly replies, hopping off the bar stool.

Rosita leads Waverly upstairs and into the room that Doc rents. He had told her that she could stay in his room for the time being and he would crash on the cot in the basement. It was nice to know that she still had some friends she could count on.

"What's with the bag?" Waverly asks, gesturing to the item in Rosita's hand.

"I'm staying here for a while. Nicole and I had a fight" Rosita explains as she places her duffel bag on the bed.

"What was the fight about?"

"You."

"She told you about the kiss," Waverly says and it's more of a statement than a question.

"I overheard the two of you in Eliza's bathroom."

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen. I was an emotional mess and-"

"Just stop, I've heard all this spiel from Nicole."

"I just need you to know that I really am sorry. I never intended to hurt you. Can you ever forgive me?" Waverly asks.

If the crack in Waverly's voice didn't give away how sorry she was, the look on her face sure did.

"Hopefully. I mean you kissed my best friend. You broke rule number one of the girlfriend code."

"Jesus, you and Nicole with your codes" Waverly huffs. "So what does this mean for us?"

"I know you don't want to be with me Waverly. I heard you say in the bathroom that you wanted to break up with me."

"I made a mistake, okay? I developed feelings for Nicole but I know that nothing between Nicole and I can ever happen. I'll get over them and maybe we can work out things between us."

"I don't want you to settle for me. I don't want to be second choice" Rosita snaps.

"That's not what I meant and I'm sorry if I implied it."

"Do you love me?" Rosita asks.

Waverly doesn't answer immediately and that gives Rosita her answer.

"Do you love Nicole? Please be honest."

"I think I could" Waverly admits.

"Then there's no reason for us to stay together. I think we should break up, so we both can have a fresh start. This will never work between us if you're not in this a hundred percent."

"I really am sorry Rosita."

"Me too. In the spirit of starting over fresh I just want to apologise for telling Nicole I cheated on you. It wasn't true as you know I was with you that night. I'm sorry I put you in that position."

"Why did you do that?" Waverly asks.

"I wanted to know what Nicole would do. I wanted to know if she would betray my trust. Turns out she would."

"I think she was put in an awkward position," Waverly says and the fact she's defending Nicole's actions irk Rosita.

"She shouldn't have lied to me. She should have told me that she had feelings for you and we could have dealt with it. Instead, she lied and then she kissed you and decided to hide that from me too" Rosita says, trying her best to keep her anger under control.

"We were going to tell you. I'm sorry for lying to you too. I just wasn't sure how to handle having feelings for my girlfriend's best friend."

"How long? How long ago did you know you liked Nicole?"

"I knew I liked her when I met her but feelings started to slowly develop and I only realised the day we went to the animal shelter."

"Thanks for being honest with me"

"Thank you for having a civilised conversation with me."

"Yeah well, I used up all my anger on Nicole" Rosita admits and yes, maybe she was a bit harsh on her best friend but sometimes the heat of the moment gets to you.

"I hope I didn't ruin your friendship."

"We've fought before. I just need some time. I think some time away from both of you would be good for me"

"Okay. I'll try and give you some space but that might be hard seeing as you're living and working at the same place as my sister."

"I forgot about that" Rosita says.

That's all she needs, Wynonna and Peacemaker breathing down her neck.

"Don't worry. I'll explain everything to Wynonna. She won't give you a hard time" Waverly says and Rosita knows that she's trying to comfort her but she wouldn't put anything past Wynonna. Certainly not ignoring her sister's wishes.

"Thank you, Waverly."

"I'll leave you to get settled then. Goodbye Rosita."

Rosita watches Waverly leave and wonders how things can change so quickly. In just a few hours she's lost both her best friend and her girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @anger_and_hope


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have finally come to an end. Thank you to [LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan/pseuds/LFL21_PotterAndEarpFan) for all the help and advice you have given me, I'm so very grateful. There may be an epilogue if that's something people want.

It has been awkward these past couple of weeks for Wynonna, watching the mess her younger sister had gotten herself into. So much so, she couldn't even imagine what it was like for the three people involved. She had kept the promise she had made to Waverly and had resisted from giving Rosita a hard time. To be fair, it's not like Rosita had hurt her sister after all. Besides, she didn't want to piss Waverly off considering she was leaving soon. She doesn't want to leave with her sister angry at her.

For the last three weeks she has watched as Waverly, Rosita and Nicole tipped-toed around each other. Whenever Waverly comes to visit Wynonna at work, if Rosita was in, she would hide in the booth at the far side of the bar. Whilst Rosita would tend to every table but Waverly's. Nicole, on the other hand, has avoided the bar at all costs. Wynonna has tried to talk to Waverly about what happened but her sister always deflects the conversation. But, from what little Waverly has told her, all three women haven't really spoken to each other since the big blow out, as Wynonna liked to call it.

Wynonna was leaving for Greece soon and she didn't want to leave Waverly whilst she is still miserable. So the older Earp has decided that she was going to do something about this mess. Rosita was currently approaching the bar with a tray of dirty glasses, so it was time to make her move.

"Have you talked to my sister yet?" she asks.

"No. Not yet" Rosita replies, placing the tray of glasses on the bar.

"What about Red?"

"No. I haven't talked to Nicole either."

If Wynonna was anything like her younger sister, she would have planned how this conversation would go but she wasn't. She was the reckless one. The act now, think later type. So why go off brand? She might as well get straight to the point.

"Look. Whatever happened between the three of you, you need to fix it. You've all been skirting around each other for the past three weeks. You guys need to work it out. All three of you care about each other. So why not tell each other that and then you can all be friends again."

"It's none of your business, Wynonna."

"If it concerns Waverly, then it is my business. Nothing means more to me than to see Waverly happy and currently, that's not the case."

"They betrayed my trust. I just need some space to process everything" Rosita says.

"It's been three weeks."

"You can't put a time limit on it."

"Yes, I can because I'm leaving for Greece next week. So you three need to fix it before then" Wynonna says as if it was an order.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I want to leave knowing that Waverly is happy and that's only going to happen if you three make up. I know what they did was wrong. Hell, even they know that!

But you have to give them a chance to say their piece, without yelling and screaming."

"What if I can't forgive them?" Rosita asks and Wynonna has never heard her sound so vulnerable.

"Then at least you know where you stand. You need to ask yourself if you are ready to forgive them. I know it might be unfair to say this to you but those two idiots are in love with each other. However, neither of them will do a damn thing about it because they've already betrayed you once and they think that if they get together that they would betray you again. They've barely even spoken to each other in three weeks."

Wynonna can see that Rosita is surprised by this revelation by the look on her face.

"What? You thought that they would just get together as soon as you were out of the picture? Neither of them wanted to hurt you; sometimes love is messy. You should hear them out."

"I don't even know where to start."

"You go and talk to Nicole and I'll get Waverly to come here. Then you can bring Nicole back here and all three of you can talk."

"You know underneath all that bravado your actually sweet, aren't you?" Rosita jokes.

"Waverly is my world. I wasn't the best sister growing up but I want to be better. That's why I'm leaving. I want to sort out my own shit and make sure I can be the best person I can be for Waverly. I'm not leaving forever. Although, speaking of my absence, I want you to take care of this place for me. It may be a bit run down and the occupants are eighty percent assholes but it's been like a home to me."

"Don't worry, you can count on me."

"Thanks Rosita. You know you're not so bad kid. I'm glad that I didn't have to introduce you to peacemaker. Which reminds me, I better get working on my speech for Red, for when she starts to date my baby sister."

"Is the shovel talk really necessary?" Rosita asks.

"I know that Waves can defend herself so it's not really about that. I just love the look on people's faces when I do it. Champ Hardy almost wet himself" Wynonna says, laughing at the memory of Waverly's ex-boyfriend practically quaking in his boots.

"Anyway. It's pretty slow in here. Why don't you go and get Nicole and I'll get Waves and we can get this thing sorted out as soon as possible. That way I can enjoy my last week here and not have to watch the three of you mope around."

"I wasn't moping."

"You should have tried telling your face that. Anyway, get gone. We've got about two hours before the regulars stumble in" Wynonna says.

Rosita wasn't going to argue with her. She wanted to mend her friendship with Nicole and she hopes to have one with Waverly too. Plus, even though Wynonna has kept her promise and has left her alone, she still doesn't trust her not to use peacemaker to get what she wants.

* * *

Nicole was starting to regret asking Nedley for longer shifts. She thought that if she was working, there'd be less chance of seeing Waverly or Rosita around. Shorty's and the library had been no-go areas for the past three weeks. It was unlike her to not face things head-on, but she isn't sure she can take the pain of seeing her best friend or the girl she's in love with any time soon.

Besides, It's not like Waverly or Rosita had tried to reach out to her either. So why should she be the one to make the first move?

She quickly changes out of her work uniform and throws on something more comfortable. All she wants to do is snuggle up with Calamity on the couch and watch tv, the same thing she has been doing every night for the past three weeks.

However, those plans are quickly interrupted by a knock at the door. She wasn't expecting anyone, although now she kind of wishes that she had ordered some food. Especially with the noise her stomach is making.

As she opens the door, she's surprised to find Rosita standing there on the other side. She isn't sure why she knocked considering she has a key.

"Can I come in and talk?" Rosita asks.

"It's still half your apartment Rosita, even if you aren't currently living in it" Nicole replies, stepping away from the door and heading into the living room.

Rosita enters the apartment and shuts the door behind her. She makes her way over to where Nicole is sitting on the couch and takes a seat next to her.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you. Properly talk, no arguing" Rosita explains.

"Okay."

Nicole doesn't offer anything more than that. Rosita came here to talk, so she's going to let her.

"I'm sorry that I lied about cheating on Waverly. It was unfair of me to do that to you but I was angry. You're my best friend and you lied to me. You kissed my girlfriend behind my back and you hid that from me."

"I know and I can't apologise for that enough but I meant it when I said that I didn't mean for it to happen. You have to believe me. I didn't plan to try and steal Waverly away from you. I tried to stay away from her, from both of you. That's why I kept saying I was busy when you tried to make plans for us all" Nicole explains.

"Waverly thought that you didn't like her and that's why you didn't want to hang out with us. That's irony for you."

"When you told me that, I didn't want to give you the impression that something was wrong so then I did start to hang out with the both of you more and that's when things got complicated. I started to develop feelings for her."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Rosita asks.

"I was scared. How was I supposed to tell you something like that."

"We've always told each other everything."

"This felt different. I didn't want this to be something that would ruin our friendship" Nicole admits. It seems silly saying it now considering their friendship has been broken anyway.

"It wouldn't have ruined anything but lying to me and then betraying my trust by kissing Waverly, that could have."

"Could have? Meaning that it hasn't?" Nicole asks, her voice full of hope.

"You're my best friend Nicole. Nothing can get in the way of that, not even a girl. I just needed some time to think. I was so angry after overhearing you in the bathroom and I let that anger control me. If I had acted more rationally then I would have considered everything that I heard. I know that you told her that you couldn't be together because of me."

"I wouldn't do that to you" Nicole interrupts quickly.

She needs Rosita to know that regardless of lying to her and betraying her trust, she would have never hurt her intentionally.

"I know that now. As I said, I let my anger get the better of me."

That's something Nicole can understand. Emotions can be hard to control. No matter how hard you try and keep a lid on them, they're always there inside, bubbling away just waiting to escape. If she could have kept the lid firmly on hers, she wouldn't have kissed Waverly.

"What brought all of this on? Why speak to me now?" Nicole asks.

"Wynonna told me that she wants Waverly to be happy and it got me thinking. That's all I want for you too and I think that the only way that can happen is if you are with Waverly."

"I can't."

"Why? Because of me? I'm okay with it. I've thought about it a lot these past few weeks. Waverly and I weren't meant to be together but maybe the two of you are. I know that you love her, the two of you should try and be happy" Rosita says and Nicole can tell that she means every word. If only it was that simple.

"I'm really happy that your okay with it and I'm grateful for you coming to tell me this, but you're not the only person I hurt. I hurt Waverly too. We haven't really spoken since I told her you cheated on her."

"Did I mention that I was sorry about that?" Rosita says sheepishly.

"I'm not sure she wants to speak to me let alone be with me."

"Then you need to find out. Go and talk to her."

"I'm not sure I deserve another chance with her. I kind of already rejected her once, I wouldn't be surprised if she did the same" Nicole says, her mind wandering to the conversation she had with Waverly in Eliza's bathroom and then to the one they had in Waverly's dorm.

"You're not going to find out until you ask."

"I'm not sure If I'm ready."

"Okay. So how about if in the meantime, you and I have a drink at Shorty's for old times sake" Rosita says with a reassuring smile.

"That sounds great. I'm glad that we managed to work everything out between us. I really did miss you."

Nicole pulls Rosita into a hug as if to confirm the repairing of their friendship.

"I missed you too. Just try not to kiss anymore of my girlfriends and I think we'll be good" Rosita teases as she pulls out of the embrace.

"Don't worry, that'll never happen again."

"Good. Now, come out. It's time for shots!" Rosita says, jumping to her feet.

Nicole laughs at her best friend's antics. She couldn't be happier that her friendship with Rosita was back on track. She just hopes to god that Rosita doesn't bring out the peppermint shots.

* * *

It's been a while since Waverly had properly enjoyed spending time at Shorty's. Even though she and Rosita had talked about what had happened and had broken up amicably, things had still been weird between them. She had barely spoken to Nicole or Rosita in the last few weeks but she wasn't surprised. After all, she was the cause of the rift between the best friends.

All those months ago when she had first met Nicole she would have never seen this coming. She thought that she was meeting her girlfriend's best friend but then Nicole turned into something much more. She isn't sure when the feelings started to form but after they spent the day at the shelter and they ate ice cream together, she began to notice them more and more.

She never wanted this mess to happen. She never wanted to come in between the two friends. She actually cared deeply for them both but in completely different ways. Unfortunately, her feelings for each of them had got mixed up. They were the wrong way round. She realised that her feelings for Rosita were platonic and her feelings for Nicole were anything but. Now though, she hasn't spoken to either of them in three weeks and she misses them both.

"Another whiskey, babygirl?" Wynonna asks.

However, she doesn't bother waiting for a reply as she places a glass in front of her.

Something seems off about her sister. Every so often Wynonna would look at the entrance to Shorty's, like she's waiting for someone to come in.

"Why do you keep looking at the doo-" Waverly starts to ask but she gets her answer as Rosita enters the bar with Nicole following behind her. "What's going on?" she asks as Rosita and Nicole approach the bar.

"You've been parent trapped" Wynonna replies.

"I have nothing to do with this. I promise" Nicole says, giving Rosita a betrayed look in the process.

"I just want the three of us to sit down together and talk. I want us to get past what happened so we can all move on" Rosita explains. "Can we sit at a table and talk things through?"

"Okay, fine" Waverly replies, her eyes not leaving Nicole's.

It's the first time she's seen her properly. She's only had glimpses of her on campus as she worked but never quite had the courage to go over and talk to her.

Rosita nods her head and leads the two girls over to a booth at the back corner of the bar. Waverly takes a seat at one side of the table and Rosita gestures for

Nicole to sit at the other side, before sitting down herself next to her best friend.

"So, Nicole and I talked things through before and we have decided to forgive and forget everything that happened. You and I left things on good terms and I hope that is still the case?" Rosita asks Waverly.

"Of course it is."

"Good. So now all we need to do is to fix the problem between the two of you" Rosita says pointing her finger between Nicole and Waverly.

"Waverly and I don't have a problem" Nicole insists.

"Then why haven't you spoken to each other in three weeks?" Rosita asks, cocking her head to the side.

"I've been busy with school and work."

"Bullshit. Look, from now on we all have to be honest with each other. That's the only way this friendship between us I going to work" Rosita says with so little tact, that Wynonna would be proud.

"I'm sorry for not reaching out to you sooner. We didn't really leave things on the best terms" Nicole says.

"I know and I'm sorry for what I said to you. I shouldn't have implied that you were jealous of Rosita and I" Waverly replies, her eyes barely reaching Nicole's.

"You don't have to apologise and to tell you the truth, I was jealous" Nicole admits, her eyes flitting to her best friend before returning to staring at the table.

"I'm sorry for lying to you both and for testing our friendship and for putting you, Waverly in that position. When I thought about everything afterwards, it made me realise something. You're my best friend Nicole and you wouldn't betray me unless it was for a good reason or for someone you really care about. So I know that this situation is messed up but you both have feelings for each other and I think you should explore them"

"But-" Waverly starts before Rosita interrupts her.

"I'm fine with it really. Nicole and I have already talked about this but now it's down to the two of you. In fact, I have to get back to work so I'm going to leave the two of you alone."

Rosita stands up from the table, she looks at Nicole and Waverly sat in the booth.

"I'm really glad that we have put this all behind us but now we need to look to the future. I really hope the two of you work things out."

"Thanks, Rosita" Nicole says.

Rosita sends her a smile before leaving her alone with Waverly.

"So that was a bit weird" Nicole jokes with a small smile, trying to ease the tension at the table.

"She's right though. I have feelings for you and as much as you tried to deny it, I know you have feelings for me too" Waverly says, getting right down to businesses.

"I didn't deny that I had feelings for you. I just said that nothing could happen between us because of Rosita."

"Okay, so now that Rosita has said that she's okay with us being together, what now?"

"I don't know. I know that she said she's okay with it but it feels like I'm betraying her still" Nicole says, causing Waverly to shake her head in disbelief.

"Well, there's no reason for me to stay here then. I don't feel like getting rejected by you for the second time."

"No, wait please" Nicole begs, placing her hand over Waverly's in an attempt to stop her leaving. "I'm not rejecting you I promise. I've spent so long trying to get over you and to put you out of my mind."

"That doesn't make me feel any better" Waverly scoffs.

"I haven't finished. I have tried to get over you Waverly but I can't. I think about you all the time. You're the last thing on my mind at night and the first thing I think about when I wake up. I almost threw away my friendship with the most important person in my life because you're so special to me."

Waverly smiles and takes Nicole's hand that's on top of hers and laces their fingers together.

"So of course I want to be with you. I just needed a moment to process this because for months I thought what I was feeling for you was wrong, even though it felt so right. I never thought that I would ever have the chance to be with you and now that I do, it's just very overwhelming for me" Nicole admits.

"You don't think I feel the same? My heart is beating so fast in my chest right now."

Nicole smiles and scoots around the table so she can be closer to Waverly. Waverly takes Nicole's hand and places it over her heart, so Nicole can feel the rhythm of her heart beating.

"Can you feel that? You scare me Nicole. I've never felt like this about anybody before. You have my heart in your hands and you could break it so easily, but you also have the power to mend it too."

"I'll never break it, I promise."

"That's a pretty big promise."

"It's one I'm willing to keep as long as you do the same for me?" Nicole asks.

"Then I promise too."

Waverly can't help the smile that appears on her face, it's matched by the one appearing on Nicole's, dimples and all. She's been thinking about kissing Nicole again since the first time it happened. This time though, it's under better circumstances. She leans in and waits for Nicole to close the gap.

"Have you two figured your shit out yet?" Wynonna yells, stomping over to the table.

"Wynonna" Waverly whines at her sister. She was finally going to kiss Nicole again but no, her sister had to ruin it.

"Yes, we have" Nicole says, her cheeks slightly blushed considering the fact Waverly's sister caught them about to kiss.

"Good."

"Yes, it is good. So if you don't mind Nicole and I would like to be alone."

"Oh okay. I got ya" Wynonna winks before heading back towards the bar.

"I'm sorry about her."

"Don't be."

"So, she kind of killed the mood, huh?" Waverly asks, a little disappointed.

"A little bit but we've have all the time in the world now, right? So do you want to come back to the apartment? I'm sure Calamity misses you."

"Aww! I've missed her too."

"It'll be nice to cuddle up with someone else other than Calamity for once" Nicole jokes as she stands up from the booth, Waverly swiftly following her actions.

Nicole holds her hand out for Waverly to take. Neither of them notices Wynonna offering Rosita a high five in the background as the couple walk hand in hand out of Shorty's. As Waverly starts to walk down the street she notices that Nicole has stopped. She turns around to see what's wrong but before she can ask, she feels a pair of lips on her own. After the initial surprise wears off it doesn't take long before she kisses Nicole back.

Nicole pulls back, trying to catch her breath. As cheesy as it sounds, Waverly literally took her breath away.

"I'm sorry. I probably should have asked but after Wynonna interrupted us -" Nicole starts but doesn't get chance to finish her sentence as Waverly's lips find hers once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for reading and leaving me kudos or a comment, I really appreciate it. As I mentioned it's been a while since I wrote anything and it might not have been the best idea to write a Wayhaught story with so little Wayhaught for my first one but thank you for taking a chance on it.
> 
> I don't think this will be the end for me. I have a few ideas I want to explore. You can find me on twitter @anger_and_hope, I don't use it much but you can always send me a message on there if you want.


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I promised an epilogue as I felt that maybe the end of this story was a little underwhelming. However, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to write. So, I sat down and this is what I came up with. I know it's short and I'm sorry but I hope you enjoy the little glimpse into what came next for Nicole and Waverly.

Nicole is no stranger to tying a tie but for some reason, she can't seem to stop her fingers from fumbling with the knot she's trying to make. She isn't sure what's got her so jittery, she not usually a nervous person but she thinks that there is a little bit of nervousness mixed with the excitement she's currently feeling.

"Would you like some help?" Waverly asks from behind Nicole who was looking at herself in the mirror.

"Yes please" Nicole replies, letting her hands fall from the messily tied material around her neck.

"You okay?" Waverly asks as Nicole turns to face her.

"Yes. I've been waiting for this day for years so I'm excited that it's finally here."

"You should be proud of yourself. I know I'm very proud of you" Waverly says as she makes simple work of tying the tie around Nicole's neck.

"Thank you."

"Okay, you're all done," Waverly says, adjusting the tie one more time to make sure it was in perfect place.

Nicole turns around and stares at herself in the mirror. It felt surreal to see herself in this uniform, the uniform she has always dreamed of wearing. All of the hard work that she has put in over the past few years are about to come to fruition. She was finally going to graduate from the police academy.

It feels different from when she graduated from Smith University just over six months ago. Everything she has worked for has been building up to this moment and it's starting to finally feel real. Even if she still has a way to go before she's a fully-fledged police officer.

"You look really good in that uniform, Officer Haught" Waverly says, coming up behind Nicole. She looks at her through the mirror as she runs her hands down the length of Nicole's forearms.

"Not as good as you look in that dress" Nicole responds referring to the navy blue dress Waverly was wearing.

Nicole looks at herself in the mirror once more and inspects Waverly's handy work, adjusting the tie slightly. She knows it's perfect but it was out of habit more than anything.

"Can you stop messing with your tie, I did it perfectly and your going to mess it up."

"I'm sorry" Nicole responds, letting her hand drop from the tie.

"It's okay to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Nicole says, a little bit too quickly to be believable. She turns to face Waverly.

"It's just weird you know? I've been thinking about this moment for years and it's finally here. Although I never imagined that I would have someone as amazing as you, cheering me on from the crowd."

"Well, I was a cheerleader in high school and since you look so good in your uniform," Waverly says, running her hands up Nicole's chest and resting them on her shoulders " Maybe one day, I'll show you mine."

Nicole barely gets chance to process that statement before Waverly pulls on her tie with one hand and brings Nicole's lips to her own.

"What were you saying about messing up my tie?" Nicole teases, a little out of breath.

"I can always tie it again" Waverly replies and who is Nicole to argue with that? She brings her head down so she can capture Waverly's lips in another sweet kiss. As much as she would love to, she can't take it much further than that. They have to leave in five minutes and being late was not an option. Reluctantly Nicole pulls away from Waverly's embrace.

"We should get going," Nicole says as Waverly readjust her tie.

"I'm so excited to see you on that stage. I have my camera fully charged and ready to go!" Waverly beams and Nicole can't help but smile back. Waverly's sunshiny personality was infectious.

Waverly grabs her purse off the bed and swings it over her shoulder. As they exit Nicole's bedroom and enter the living room they find Rosita sitting on the couch looking at her phone. Her gaze moves to the couple as they appear through the doorway.

"You ready?" Rosita asks.

"As I'll ever be" Nicole replies.

Rosita stands from her position on the couch and looks at her best friend dressed in her uniform. Things slowly got easier between the two of them when Rosita moved back into the apartment that she shared with Nicole. She thought that it might be awkward between the three of them when Waverly was around but surprisingly, it wasn't. It did help a lot when Rosita announced she was dating someone new. Nicole was surprised however, when she found out that the new person she was dating was Doc. It turns out that after working and living together for so long, feelings start to develop.

Once she was over the shock, she saw how Rosita moving on and into a new relationship was a good thing for her friend. It also helped the guilt that Nicole was still feeling about dating Waverly, to slowly dissipate.

"I'm so proud of you Nic" Rosita says, trying to keep tears at bay as she pulls her best friend into a hug.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Waverly has tons of tissues for you to share" Nicole jokes.

"Hey!" Waverly chides. "It's not my fault that I get emotional."

"I know. I was just teasing. I love you both very much but can we please get going now?" Nicole asks.

"Sure" Rosita says finally letting Nicole out of her embrace so they can leave.

* * *

Waverly couldn't be prouder as she watched Nicole being handed her diploma by the Chief of Police. She snaps a couple of photographs before reaching for the tissues in her pocket. She hands one of the tissues to Rosita who smiles at her in thanks.

Waverly is still so grateful that she has managed to keep both Nicole and Rosita in her life. After 'the big blowout' she never imagined that she would be here right now, sat next to Rosita as they watch Nicole, Waverly's girlfriend graduate from the police academy.

Once the ceremony had finished, Waverly had insisted that they take a lot more photographs. Dolls had even joined them for a few photos before heading back to join his parents who had made the trip to see their son graduate.

As Waverly flicks through the photos that Rosita had taken of her and Nicole together, she sees one that she loves and can't wait to print it so she can put it on her dorm room wall. Waverly goes to show Nicole the photo but doesn't get the chance as they are approached by a man in uniform.

"Congratulation Officer Haught" he says holding out his hand for Nicole to shake.

"Thank you Sir. Waverly this is Officer Johnson, he helped train me at the academy."

"It's nice to meet you Sir," Waverly says.

"The pleasure is mine. So, Nicole. I have a few connections in Calgary that always ask me to refer them the best recruits, so I passed on your name. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all Sir. It's an honour to be thought so highly of by you. Thank you."

"Well. I should keep making my rounds. Good luck Officer Haught" Johnson says with a nod of his head.

"Thank you Sir."

Once Johnson leaves, Nicole turns to Waverly and finds that she has a downcast look on her face but before she can ask if she is okay, a cheery smile appears on Waverly's face.

"I'm so proud of you!" she beams.

"Thanks, Waves. Everything okay?"

"Of course. Why don't we go and celebrate with a drink at Shorty's?" Waverly suggests.

"Sound great but I think I should go home and change first."

"Do you have to?" Waverly says with a pout.

"Yes but don't worry, you can always help me take it off" Nicole whispers into Waverly's ear.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Let's find Rosita and Dolls and we can tell them to meet us at Shorty's" Waverly says, grabbing onto her hand and practically dragging her over to where Rosita was standing.

* * *

When Nicole and Waverly finally arrive at Shorty's they are greeted with a cheer from their group of friends who were all sat in a booth waiting for them. Waverly had gone to the trouble of decorating the booth with a congratulations banner and a few blue and red balloons. Which Nicole soon realised were meant to represent a siren.

"Surprise!" Waverly says to her girlfriend.

"Thanks, Waves. You didn't have to do all of this" Nicole says as she sits next to Jeremy in the booth. At the same time, Rosita arrives carrying a round of drinks for the table.

Waverly joins Nicole in the booth, who snakes an arm around her girlfriend's waist just to keep her close.

"To Officer Haught and Dolls!" Waverly says, raising her glass of whiskey.

"Thanks, everyone" Nicole replies, whilst Dolls nods his head in appreciation.

"I can't believe that my baby sister is officially dating a nark."

"Wynonna!" Waverly yells as she jumps up from the table and pulls her sister in for a hug.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I left to go and find myself but it turns out that I like the person I was when I was here. I love being close to you and I even love working here. Shorty's is a shithole but it's my shithole, you know?" Wynonna explains.

"So your back for good?"

"I'm back for good, babygirl. I talked to Shorty this morning and he offered me my old job back. He even said that he would move his office downstairs so I can live in the room upstairs."

"That's great Wynonna. I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, Waves. I think you should go back and join Nicole now, she looks like a lost puppy without you by her side."

"Behave," Waverly says with a laugh, gently shoving her sister.

"Okay. Well, we'll catch up properly tomorrow. I'm so glad that your home 'Nonna" Waverly says, giving her sister another quick hug.

"Me too Waves."

"Everything okay?" Nicole asks as Waverly joins her back at the table.

"Everything is great. Wynonna is back for good."

"That's great Waves. I'm happy for you."

"At least I won't be lonely when you leave for Calgary."

"Calgary? Oh. I see what's going on. I knew something was up before, you got all weird after Johnson mentioned recommending me to Calgary PS" Nicole says.

"I'm sorry. We never really talked about what would happen after you graduated. Obviously I knew you would look for jobs, I just didn't think where you would be applying. The thought of you being so far away just got to me" Waverly admits.

"I actually have some news about that. So I talked to Nedley and before he worked as campus security, he was a police officer and he still has some connections. There was an opening at Purgatory Police Department so he put in a good word. They offered me a job and I took it."

"You're going to work for PDP?"

"I know that with your father you have some bad memories regarding Purgatory and the police department there but this is a good opportunity for me. I get to start my training right away and I can still live here whilst you finish your last year at Smith. Then once you graduate, we can discuss our future and where we want to go from there" Nicole explains.

"I'm not sure what I want to do after I graduate."

"I know but I want you to know that where you go, I go. So we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"You're amazing, you know that?" Waverly asks, leaning in for a kiss.

"You two are going to make me barf."

"Hi Wynonna, It's nice to see you again," Nicole says as Wynonna drops down on the seat across from them, a glass of whiskey in hand.

"Haught. You taking good care of my sister?" Wynonna asks.

"Not that she needs anyone to take care of her but yes."

"Good. I'm glad your still around" Wynonna says and as simple as the statement is, it means everything to Nicole. She knows how protective Wynonna is of Waverly so it warms her heart knowing that she has Wynonna's approval.

"So," Waverly says to her sister "I didn't get chance to tell you. Rosita and Doc are dating."

"What does that have to do with Wynonna?" Jeremy asks.

"She and Doc used to date" Waverly explains.

"We weren't dating. We just had fun every once in a while" Wynonna interjects.

"So Wynonna used to have fun with Doc, who is now dating Rosita. Rosita used to date Waverly who is Wynonna's sister and now Waverly is dating Nicole who is Rosita best friend. It's getting pretty L Wordy up in here" Jeremy jokes.

"You watch the L Word?" Nicole asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey isn't that your ex-girlfriend?" Jeremy asks.

"Nice try but it isn't going to work" Nicole replies.

"No seriously, Shae is here."

"What?" Nicole asks, turning towards where Jeremy was looking.

"Please don't be mad but I bumped into her this morning when I was carrying all of the party decorations and I mentioned you were graduating and I kind of invited her to stop by" Waverly says.

"I'm not mad, maybe a little surprised that you managed to keep your jealousy in check, long enough to invite her," Nicole says with a smirk.

"Hey, that was one time. That girl held onto your arm for way too long when you helped her up. I swear she tripped on purpose just to get your attention."

"Okay down tiger, I was just joking. I don't mind that you invited Shae. We agreed to stay friends considering she moved back. I'm just grateful that your okay with that."

"Of course I am. I trust you."

"I should go and say hi to her" Nicole says before sliding out of the booth.

"Hi, Shae" she greets as she approaches her ex-girlfriend who was awkwardly standing alone by the bar.

"Hi, Nicole. I hope you don't mind that I stopped by."

"Not at all."

"Congratulations on your graduation! I'm really happy for you Nicole. You're finally where you want to be. You're a cop now and you're happy with Waverly. I'm glad it worked out for you, you deserve it."

"Thanks, Shae. Do you want a drink?" Nicole asks.

"No, I'm okay thank you. I can't stop, I have to get back to the hospital. I just wanted to stop by and congratulate you but maybe some other time?"

"Yeah. I'd like that."

"Enjoy the rest of your celebration and thank Waverly for inviting me."

"I will do. Goodbye Shae" Nicole says as she shares a quick hug with the other woman.

Nicole watches as Shae leaves. She's glad that things are still friendly between the two of them. With Shae moving back to Elysium, it was inevitable that they would see each other around the small city so being on friendly terms was much better than trying to avoid each other.

A laugh from her friends gets her attention and she notices that Dolls' parents have joined in with the celebrations too. He had mentioned that they would join them for a drink before they took their son out for a celebratory meal.

It makes Nicole think of her own parents, she wonders if they ever think about her. She had thought about contacting them recently to tell them she had graduated from college and joined the police academy but she quickly changed her mind.

They were the ones that decided not to support her, so why should she be the one to reach out and offer the olive branch? Besides, she had found herself a new family now. A family that had found each other and supports each other no matter what. She can't help but smile at that thought.

Turning towards the bar, Nicole flags down Doc who was currently the only one tending the bar.

"Hey Doc, can I get another round of drinks?"

"Sure thing. Congratulations by the way."

"Thank you. Are you joining us for a drink?" Nicole asks.

"I would love to oblige but it seems that you have already claimed my fellow bartenders so I think it's best if one of us stays sober at least," Doc says with a small smile.

"I forgot Rosita was working later. I will get her to slow down. Don't worry."

"I do appreciate it. I'll bring your drinks over."

"Thanks, Doc."

Nicole returns to the booth and slips in next to Waverly who automatically cuddles into her side.

"Everything okay?" Waverly asks, leaning her head against Nicole's shoulder.

"Everything is perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to write a Christmas story and considering the speed I write, I should start working on it now! 😂 So I want you to suggest all the Christmas movie cliches you want to see. I'm going to think of a plot including as many of the ideas as I can. You can comment below or message me [@anger_and_hope](https://twitter.com/Anger_And_Hope?lang=en) on twitter (hopefully, I'll remember to log on!)


End file.
